Gypsy Soul
by prsweetie
Summary: Jax once told him "Blood family, hometown, all that shit moves back a row. Once you're patched, the members are your family. This charter is your home." But he did have a life before Charming, blood lines that ran deep and complicated...and he needed her now more than ever.
1. A Poor Girl's Dream

**A/N: Okay I have absolutely no business starting a new story when I have three that desperately need my attention but this story would not leave me the hell alone. I guess the muse wants what it wants. I have twenty pages and four chapters of this story done already. I'm also halfway through a new chapter for Constant Craving and the outline for From Crayons to Cuts is finally done. Things I Never Needed is stalling a bit but I still have a few more weeks of vacation to hopefully get at least one story done.**

**This story is more A/U than most. I've taken the basic premise of Juice's struggle in Season Four and made them my own. Some things will be familiar but most of it will be taking a life of its on. I really hope you enjoy this. I'm really, really excited about this fic and where it could go. As always, reviews are welcomed, appreciated and desired.**

* * *

_She works on the clock_

_Punchin in & out for years_

_She'd like to take that double shift_

_And shift it down a gear_

_Go home and light a candle_

_Paint her toes a different color and just breathe_

_Well it may not sound like much_

_But that's the stuff that makes up a poor girls dream_

_If you've got a million you want two_

_If you ain't got nothin any little thing will do_

"Get her off the ropes!"

"Damn it Ortiz! Stop potatoing the girl!"

"That's fucking it! Separate now." Harley jumped in the middle of the ring and pulled the newbie from his protégé and waved over the trainer to take a look at her shoulder which was on the verge of being dislocated. He turned to look at the aggressive, curvy brunette and noticed that her eyes seemed to be glazed over as if she was barely here. Harley grabbed her face in both of her hands and shook her back to the present.

"God damn it, Jolie. Stop acting like this is your first dance inside this ring. You've been doing this shit for close to three years now and you decide to forget the first rule. Don't ever intentionally try to hurt your opponent. If people start to think you are a loose cannon, no one will want to get in the ring with you." Jolie Ortiz yanked her head back from his tough grip and growled.

"I don't need this shit from you right now Harley." She stepped from in between the ropes and pushed her way back towards the locker room.

"Don't you fucking walk away from me." Jolie slammed the locker room door and headed towards her gym bag. She peeled her sweat filled tank off her body and was getting ready to take off her pants when Harley slammed his way in the room.

"What the hell is your problem?"

"Nothing. I have one bad day and you act like it's the end of the world?" Harley looked at Jolie and noticed the sheer exhaustion that seemed to be radiating off her body. He knew the girl had it tough, trying to hold down two jobs while training but she had always been able to separate her shit when she walked in between those ropes. Harley ran a hand over his graying hair and leaned against the locker.

"What is going on with you Jolie?" The young woman sighed as her anger seemed to deflate right in front of him.

"Jimmy got laid off again." Harley rolled his eyes. He had been training Jolie for three years now and two of those years she had spent with some deadbeat asshole that didn't deserve her. Three years ago, she had walked into his wrestling school with a check and a purpose. She wanted to train to be a professional wrestler. Harley was skeptical at first. She was gorgeous with long dark hair, expressive eyes and a fit body but he had seen many girls come and go in this industry and he was the toughest trainer in all of Texas.

He was not in the business of coddling some model that had seen the WWE Diva Search and was looking to using his passion as a way to pose for Playboy. He was going to dismiss her when she stopped him in his tracks. She started to rattle off statistics and knowledge better than most men that he knew. It was obvious that she had a true passion for the business and he took her in.

Jolie had been a natural in the ring and was perfecting her craft all over the independent circuit in the Southwest. She had gained quite the reputation for her looks, ability and promo skills. She was so good that she had been asked to participate at a competition in California in less than three months.

It was a two week long event where some of the head honchos from SHINE would be scouting new talent. SHINE was an all-female independent wrestling organization and Harley desperately wanted Jolie to get a contract with them. Not only did she deserve it, but Harley was hoping that she would finally get a break from all the shit that was going on in her life and gain some happiness.

Jolie glanced up at the clock and frowned. "I gotta get ready for work." She grabbed her towel and turned back towards the man who had become like a father to her over the years. "Harley, I'm sorry about earlier. It won't happen again."

"As your friend, I understand. But as your trainer, I'm telling you to get your shit together. You have three months before you have to really prove yourself. There are thousands of girls out there that want this more than anything. You need to remember that."

* * *

Jolie walked into the Hidden Reef bar five minutes before her shift was supposed to start. She quickly placed her purse behind the bar, grabbed her apron and cracked open a beer for one of the regulars. She dreaded working Friday nights but weekends equaled the best tips and she could take all the money she could make right about now. She hoped to stay a step ahead all night and be able to close the bar down by at least 3:30. It would give her enough time to load up on caffeine before her 5am shift at the diner.

"Hey sweetheart." Jolie turned and smiled at Arleen, her coworker and friend.

"Hey girlie. How you living?" She watched as Arleen set her tray down before moving closer and lowering her voice.

"Jimmy was in here during the lunch hour." Jolie rolled her eyes. Of course, her unemployed boyfriend would find a way to dig them even further in debt.

"How much this time?" The young Latina asked, knowing that Jimmy likely had ran up a tab with the promise that Jolie would pay once she came in for her shift.

"75, not including tip." Jolie reached in her purse and grabbed a hundred dollars before handing it to Arleen. Sometimes she really hated this small town shit where everyone knew your name and business. This small town country world she lived in now was a far cry from her childhood upbringing in Queens, New York.

Jolie grew up in Queens with her older brother and parents in a small row home. She watched as her mother ran herself in the ground trying to overcompensate for her father's shitty lifestyle. Her father only cared about three things: women, coke and poker. Unfortunately all of those things cost money and he was not above taking all of her mother's hard earned money to fuel his addictions. Jolie grew up resenting both of her parents: her father for being an asshole and her mother for being a push over. Who would have thought that she would end up being just like the damn woman?

Her brother, Juan Carlos always turned a blind eye to the shit that was going on inside their home. Jolie always felt as though it was because he wanted to keep some hero worship fantasy alive about their father. After all, they were the only kids in a three block radius who had both of their parents in the same home, no matter how dysfunctional it was. She and her brother were both latch key kids, taking care of themselves most of the time. Even though they were like night and day, there were as close as siblings could get.

Juan was always more of the computer genius wise ass. What he lacked in common sense, he made up for with his vast knowledge of hacking and various activities. He would do some work for the local mob to make some extra money and always dreamed of one day going to California, even though he didn't have the slightest clue what the hell he was going to do once he got there.

Jolie, on the other hand, was more of a hellcat rebel. She got her GED at 16 after one too many fights at school, she started bartending at 15 for some seedy speak easy in a basement and the only dream she ever had was to be able to pay her bills on time. When she was 17 and Juan was 19, their mother passed away from a brain aneurysm. Jolie always believed that the stress of trying to love a man who would never fully love her back is what killed her. In any event, five days after they buried their mother, both Jolie and Juan left to see what the rest of the world had to offer them. Juan ended up in a small town in California and became a member of some motorcycle club. He finally gained the sense of family and brotherhood that he had desperately been searching for all his life. Jolie worked her way down the East Coast and settled in Miami.

She quickly got involved with a man who introduced her to the fast money making lifestyle of drug dealing. Jolie took to it like a fish to water and quickly worked her way up the ranks. The money sure as shit beat what she was making taking on odd jobs doing everything from dog walking to being a shot girl at a strip club. Chris had been good to her at first, taught her a lot but he always had a wandering eye and a violent temper. After the third black eye, Jolie could no longer ignore what was going on so she took all the money she saved, hopped in her prized 1969 Dodge Charger and headed west.

She ended up working her way through Texas before settling down in the small town of Katy. She was able to rent a modest double wide and was ready to put down some roots. She quickly learned that all her street smarts didn't fit well into the 9-5 world and she ended up working where she knew best: as a waitress and bartender. After one fight at the Hidden Reef, her boss told her maybe she should look into a constructive way to deal with all her pent up anger. He knew that Jolie was a fan of professional wrestling and sent her to Harley. The rest had been history.

Jimmy was a construction worker who came into Debbie's Diner every day. He had come across as a respectful country boy with great biceps and pretty green eyes. She had avoided his advances for weeks before finally giving in and going out on a date with him. He had seemed great at first but the second he moved in, everything turned to shit. He lost his job and hadn't been able to find steady work since. Add that to his increasing alcohol problem and Jolie was on the verge of losing her damn mind. She had to laugh at the irony of it all. She vowed to never become like her mother but it seemed like heredity traits ran deeper than she thought.

She had fallen out of love with him months ago but had yet to break it off. Part of her said it was because she was too busy and the other part of her was hoping that she could just hold out until the SHINE event and hopefully leave this town for good. She was also excited to finally see her brother after five years.

They had kept in touch over the years as much as they could but Jolie suspected that both of them tried to downplay the negative aspects of each other's lives. Just like Jolie knew that Juice was always tracking her, Jolie had learned the basics of the internet and read all about the Sons of Anarchy. She knew that the motorcycle club was more dangerous than Juan had let on and he had just been released from doing fourteen months in Stockton. Jolie hoped that this club hadn't hardened her loveable brother too much.

She was pulled from her thoughts by some asshole banging on the bar trying to gain her attention. Jolie reached inside herself and tried to remember that she needed the money.

* * *

Nearly 13 hours later and Jolie was finally pulling her car in front of her home. She noticed that Jimmy's truck wasn't parked and she couldn't help but feel relieved. She was not in the mood to deal with his pity party bullshit right now. All she wanted to do was shit, shower and sleep before hitting the gym and going back to work.

Jolie unlocked her front door and her senses immediately went on full alert. Something was wrong and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. The living room and kitchen area was the normal mess but there was something else that was off. Jolie made her way back to the bedroom and gasped when she saw the state it was in. Dressers were pulled out and overturned, clothes were thrown every where and various items were broken.

Jolie looked around and noticed that most of Jimmy's stuff was gone. At first Jolie felt relieved that maybe he had finally decided to leave her before she had the chance to leave him but a lifetime of disappointments had taught her there was something more to this story. She glanced towards the closet and started to panic. Jolie dropped to her knees and reached in the back of the closet furiously searching for a metal box. Her fingers found the box and when she pulled back, she fought the urge to scream. All of the extra money that she had been saving over the years was gone. All that was left in the box was a note that said "I'm sorry."

Jolie threw the box towards the wall and blinked rapidly to stop herself from crying. As if her luck couldn't get any worse, she was now missing $11,000. That was the money she was saving up for California. Now all she had was fifteen hundred in the bank and the two hundred from tips that she made over the past twelve hours.

Jolie sat still on the floor and placed her head in her hands. She was normally used to dealing with the hand life dealt her but she was fucking on her last card and she needed something to change soon. Jolie heard the ringing of her cell phone coming from the living room and she ran to answer it in case it was someone saying that they found Jimmy on the side of the road and they had her damn money.

She glanced down at her phone and frowned at the unknown number that appeared to be blinking at her. Hitting the talk button, she prayed it wasn't a bill collector.

"Hello?"

"Is this Jolie?" A heavily accented man asked.

"It depends. Who the hell is this?"

"I'm calling about your brother."

* * *

Chibs had been sitting in his dorm room for over two hours, chain smoking and staring at a piece of paper. Ever since the Sons had gotten involved with the Cartel, everything was turning to shit. It all came to a head a few days ago when Chibs learned that his Juicy Boy tried to off himself with a chain and a tree.

Chibs had always reserved a soft spot in his heart for Juice. The loveable guy was trusting to a fault and always seemed to find a bright spot when it seemed impossible. It was a far cry from the Juice that was walking around lately. It was as if the boy stopped caring if he lived and he was going out of his way to make risky choices. After Koz died and Juice walked through the bomb filled area not giving a shit, Chibs knew something had to be done. He promised Jax he would look after his little brother and that's exactly what he planned on doing.

Chibs and Juice had spent a lot of time discussing their lives before Charming and that's how Chibs knew that Juice had a little sister that he adored who currently lived in Texas. After much internal debate, he waited until Juice jumped in the shower to go through his phone and find the young woman's number.

As he dialed the ten digits, Chibs hoped that this was the one person that was going to be able to save Juice before it was too late.


	2. Break Down Here

_I'd sure hate to break down here_

_Nothin up ahead or in the rearview mirror_

_Out in the middle of nowhere, nowhere_

_I'm in trouble if these wheels stop rollin_

_So God help me keep me movin somehow_

_Dont let me start wishin I was with him now_

_I made it this far without cryin a single tear_

_And I'd sure hate to break down here._

Jax was working on some lady's car while keeping an eye on Chibs. The Scotsman seemed to be preoccupied the past two days and Jax was beginning to wonder what the hell was going on. Jax put his wrench down as Chibs glanced at his cell phone for the fifth time in the past twenty minutes.

"Chibs." Jax grabbed the man's attention and waved him over. "What the hell is going on with you man?" Chibs looked around to make sure no one was paying them any attention.

"It's about Juicy." Jax immediately feared the worst. He knew that Juice tried to kill himself a few days prior and Chibs promised him that he would look after the young hacker. Jax wondered what the hell could be going on now.

"What happened now?"

"His sister is coming to Charming."

"Juice has a sister?" Sometimes it was easy for Jax to forget that the members of SAMCRO had lives before Charming. He was born and bred in this town and all of his family had always been around. He knew Juice was from New York but he never really mentioned his life before prospecting.

"Aye. She's younger and lives in Texas. I called her hoping that maybe she could get through to him."

"Does Juice know?" Chibs shook his head and Jax sighed. "Do you even know if they are close? Juice could end up being pissed that this chick shows up after nowhere?"

"He loves his sister and she was coming into town in a few months anyway. Look, Juice is up north until tomorrow, the girl will be here soon. It will all work out Jax." Chibs said, trying to convince Jax as well as himself.

An hour later, all the boys looked up to see a Dodge Charger fly into the parking lot and park. The door opened and they noticed as a woman stepped out of the car. She was dressed casually in a pair of denim shorts, a Guns and Roses tank top and a pair of black boots. Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun and she had no makeup on your face. Jax was getting ready to approach the woman when he caught a glimpse of her Texas license plate.

"That's Juice's sister?" Jax asked in disbelief. Chibs walked past the shell shocked Vice President and approached the woman.

"Jolie?" Jolie nodded her head as she pushed her sunglasses on top of her head and reached out her hand.

"Chibs?" She looked around and noticed that everyone's eyes seemed to be on her, making her defenses automatically rise up.

"What the hell is their problem?" Chibs looked around before chuckled.

"Not use to seeing a woman quite like you around these parts. Don't worry, they don't bite."

"I'm not worried: I bite back." Jolie smiled as Chibs motioned for a man with blonde hair to come over.

"This here is Jax, our VP. Jax, this is Juice's sister Jolie." The pair exchanged pleasantries. "Can the three of us go somewhere and talk?" Jax nodded his head and the three of them went into the clubhouse until they were in Jax's old dorm room.

"Um, someone want to explain to me what the hell is going on? Where' s my brother?"

"He's running an errand. He will be back tomorrow afternoon." Jolie looked at Chibs before she squinted her eyes.

"He doesn't know I'm here, does he?" Automatically Jolie started to fear the worst. Why would these people who never met her be calling her in regards to her brother? "What happened?"

"We just came out of doing a 14 month stint on the inside and we are starting to think that maybe Juice has been having a bit of a problem transitioning back into everyday life."

"Can you please stop talking in riddles and just let me know what is going on?"

"Juicy Boy has been depressed lately and none of us know how to get through to him."

"Juicy Boy? You call him Juicy Boy?" Jolie snickered to herself.

"Well Chibs does, the rest of us call him Juice." The nickname tickled Jolie to no end. She sobered up and cleared her throat.

"Okay well I guess I will find a hotel room for the night and see JC tomorrow when he gets back." Jolie went to turn away but Jax stopped her.

"You can hang out here for a while; get to meet some of the other guys. I'm sure they are all trying to figure out who the hell you are and they will be shitting themselves when they find out you're Juice's sister." The two boys share a smile which made Jolie raise her eyebrow. By the time the three made it into the main room, it was filled with men and two women.

"Hey Jax, whose the sweetbutt?" A man with black hair and crazy blue eyes asked while looking Jolie up and down. She had no idea what a "sweetbutt" was but she didn't like the way it came out so she automatically clenched her fist and took a step forward.

"Hey, shelf that shit. This is Jolie, she's Juice's sister." There was a chorus of "What the fuck" and "Get out of here" as everyone in the room looked at her like she was some alien life form.

"Jolie, this is Opie, Tig, Clay, Bobby, Chucky and Phil." Jax moved Jolie over towards the two women who were sizing her up. "This is my ma, Gemma and Opie's wife, Lyla." Jolie nodded her hello towards everyone.

"We didn't know Juice had a sister. What are you doing here?" Gemma asked.

"It's a crime to visit family?"

"Juice has been here for a lot of years and we have never once heard from you."

"Well here I am." Jolie was not one to be intimidated by anyone before and she wasn't going to start now. This damn woman may run things in Charming but she did not run Jolie.

"Jolie is a professional wrestler. She has some competition coming up in San Jose." Jolie looked questioningly at Chibs. She wasn't aware that JC had offered anyone any information about her.

"A professional wrestler? Like that Hulk Hogan shit?" The one with the crazy eyes asked.

"Yeah except better."

"So you want to be a Diva?" Flithy Phil asked. He was a huge fan of pro wrestling and she definitely had the look of a Diva. Jolie started laughing.

"No, I would like to keep my self-respect. The independent circuit is the best route to go for women who take themselves seriously in this industry. There is a new indie promotion called SHINE that I will be trying out for. It's an all-female company." Jolie seemed at ease when discussing her passion. When she smiled, everyone started to notice the similarities between her and Juice. Both of them had a smile that lit up their entire face.

"Uh, I see a bar. Is it okay if I buy a drink?" The one with the close cropped grey hair nodded and Jolie reached in her back pocket for a ten. "Jack on the rocks please." The smell of cigarettes assaulted her nose and she tried like hell to stop herself from asking for one. She had gone out of her way to try and stop smoking during training time and she knew Harley would be pissed if he knew she lit up while she was away. He was already pissed that she had to leave town in the first place.

Everyone seemed to go on about their business but kept a close eye on the new girl. Jolie was used to people staring and judging so she bit her tongue and enjoyed her drink. She watched as Mother Superior kissed the grey haired man and walked out the room after giving Jolie one last glance.

"She's protective of everyone." Jolie turned her head to see Lyla take a seat next to her. Jolie snorted in her drink.

"Yeah, she gives off that vibe."

"I like your brother. He's sweet, kind, more respectful than a lot of the other guys that run through here. Every time he shows up at my job, he seems to be a lot of the girl's favorites."

"Your job?" Lyla blushed slightly as she smiled.

"Porn." Porn stars and bikers? This was definitely an interesting little town and Jolie couldn't help but wonder what the hell her brother was doing there.

* * *

Juice sat down, leaning against a tree as he waited for the day to be over so he could get some sleep and head home. This Galindo cartel bullshit was getting deeper and deeper and Juice wondered if it would ever be over. Juice zipped his hoodie up and closed his eyes. Roosevelt was blackmailing him, he had killed an innocent brother and he was sure that he was losing his mind. He was running out of options and he knew that one way or another, his time was expiring really soon.

Juice heard footsteps and opened his eyes. He watched as Happy walked up and sat down against the tree opposite him. Juice seemed to shrink under the watchful eye of Happy. Even though Juice had known Happy for years, the bald man still remained a mystery to him. Happy was loyal, always ready to do what needed to be done for the better of the club but he wasn't exactly an open book other than that. The only one that really seemed to know Happy was Tig, which Juice figured showed a lot about the kind of man Happy probably was: crazy.

"You alright brother?" Happy's deep voice asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Just ready to get this drop done." Happy and Juice were on cocaine watch duty for the night. Juice was glad that Roosevelt wasn't asking for another brick this time because Juice was positive he would not be able to get away with that shit twice and he damn sure he wasn't going to be able to take out Happy like he had Miles.

Happy continued to watch Juice. There had been something up with the kid for a while now and Happy wondered what the hell was going on. Juice had seemed on edge, taking unnecessary risks, distant, all the traits that would never be associated with Juice. Happy was the silent type. He never liked to waste words, instead only talking when it was needed. One of the reasons why he had been such an asset to the club was that he had the ability to observe everything that was going on around him. He was the type that picked up on small details that others missed.

"Does the killing get easier?" Happy was slightly shocked at Juice's question. Juice had killed two men in less than two weeks and they were his first two killings. Happy suspected killing Miles was affecting Juice more so than the Russian. Happy was 14 men deep and it stopped being a problem for him years ago but he could understand where Juice would be having some conflict.

"You're not built to be an assassin kid. You did what you needed to do to survive; it doesn't mean that this is going to be your new job. Miles was a rat that tried to kill you, he needed to die."

"So you're just going to ignore my question?" Juice asked while playing with his lighter. Happy took a long hard look at Juice before beginning to speak.

"I was 20. It was years before I even thought of wearing a cut. I was working constructing in Sacramento, didn't get a chance to make it home often. I got a call from one of my boys back home. Turns out the new man that my ma was dating was beating the shit out of her." Happy stopped and looked at Juice to make sure he knew where he was going with this story. Happy rearranged the rings on his fingers. "You ALWAYS are willing to kill or die to protect your family: blood or charter. You hear me kid?"

Juice nodded his head as Happy's words hit his soul. "Yeah man, I hear you." Both men turned as the saw the Expedition make its way up the cobblestone road.


	3. He ain't heavy he's my brother

_The road is long, with many a winding turn_

_That leads us to who knows where, who knows where_

_But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him_

_He ain't heavy - he's my brother_

_So on we go, his welfare is my concern_

_No burden is he to bare, we'll get there_

_For I know he would not encumber me_

_He ain't heavy - he's my brother_

The following morning, Jolie walked out of her motel room and squinted against the blazing sun. She grabbed her sunglasses out of her purse before making the walk to the diner up the street that she had noticed the night before. She needed to get some food in her system before she went back to the garage to talk to Chibs. After she had a few drinks, she declined the offer to stay at the clubhouse and was given directions to the nearest motel.

Jolie spent two hours talking with Harley and catching him up on everything that had transpired the past 72 hours, including Jimmy leaving and wiping her out. Harley had been understanding but reminded her that she needed to stay focused on her training even if she wasn't there. She spoke to her boss at both the diner and the bar and they agreed to keep her jobs waiting for her when she got back.

Jolie sat down at the diner and ordered a black coffee, wheat toast and a fruit bowl.

"Not much of a meal." Jolie turned to look at Gemma standing behind her, impeccably dressed in a black shirt and tight jeans.

"I'm in training." Jolie offered as an explanation. Gemma leaned on the booth and placed her order before addressing Jolie again.

"How long are you in town?"

"Just a few days. I have to get back to work."

"Juice is a good kid. He takes a lot of shit from the guys for his…childlike nature but he's got a good heart." Jolie nodded, a little annoyed that this woman was telling her about her own brother. Gemma stared at the young woman, trying to feel her out. Jolie wasn't giving her much to work with but Gemma was never the one to back down from a challenge. "Juice has never talked about his family."

"Not much to tell. Mother's dead, father should be dead and me."

"I'm sorry about your mother." Jolie shrugged. It had been ten years since her mother passed and she avoided traveling down memory lane as much as possible. "We're having a cookout at the compound tomorrow. You should come by, give all of us a chance to get to know you more."

"Sure. I'll be there." Both women looked over as the door opened and a blonde woman made her way towards Gemma.

"What is it now Gemma? I have to be at work in less than an hour." The woman asked exasperated before looking over at Jolie. "You're new." Jolie rolled her eyes.

"Jesus, do I have a fucking sign on my forehead or something?"

"You don't look the normal type to be from around here."

"Wendy, this is Jolie, Juice's sister. Jolie, this is Wendy, my son's ex-wife. I'll see you tomorrow." Gemma pushed Wendy towards the back of the diner leaving Jolie to finish her breakfast in peace.

* * *

"Can we talk?" Jolie asked Chibs when she walked towards the bay he was working on. Chibs nodded as he wiped his hands off with a rag and the pair headed towards the picnic tables.

"What's up?"

"Have you thought about what I'm supposed to say to JC about me being here? He wasn't expecting me for another three months and I'm pretty sure you don't want me to tell him that you asked me here to play babysitter."

"Honestly love, I hadn't given it much thought. You comfortable with lying to your brother?" Jolie snorted.

"I've been doing that for years. One more lie isn't going to hurt our relationship." Jolie looked at the worry etched on the older man's face and wondered what the real story behind all of this was. "Don't worry. I'll come up with something."

"Well I hope you can think on your feet because here he comes." Jolie looked up as two bikes made their way into the lot and parked. She stood up as her brother took his helmet off and his eyes seemed to bug out of his head. Happy turned to look at Juice as he noticed his eyes seemed to be transfixed on the chick standing next to Chibs.

"Who's the chick?"

"My sister." Jolie rolled her eyes when she noticed that she would have to be the one to make the first move. She walked until she was standing directly in front of her brother.

"Please tell me you lost a bet and that's the excuse for that shitty ass haircut." Juice couldn't help the smile that hit his face at seeing his little sister for the first time in five years. She was like a breath of fresh air standing right in front of him. "You gonna stand there grinning at me like a psycho or do I at least get a hug?" Juice stepped forward and pulled Jolie in for a tight hug and buried his face in her neck like he used to do when they were kids and things were tough. Jolie grabbed a little too tight around his neck and Juice hissed before he could stop himself. Jolie pulled back and looked at him questioningly.

"What's wrong?" Juice grabbed her arms before she could investigate.

"Nothing. Just slept on my neck wrong and had a long ride." Jolie raised an eyebrow. She knew he was lying to her but since she was getting ready to do the same to him, she figured she would let it go for now. "What are you doing here?"

"I had some paperwork to fill out for the competition so I figured I would swing by and see you before I head back home. Surprise!" Jolie put her arms out in a silly fashion causing the siblings to laugh.

"You met everyone?"

"For the most part. You certainly have an interesting lifestyle now."

"Jolissa." Juice stated warningly but she just put her arms up in defense.

"Not judging, lord know I don't have the room, just stating a fact."

"Were you on your best behavior?"

"Yes, Father Dearest." Jolie noticed something flicker in Juice's eyes when she said father. "Everything alright with you?"

"Just getting back into the swing of things."

"Yo Juice!" They turned to see Bobby standing by the doors. "Church." Jolie turned back to Juice.

"Since when did you become religious?" Juice laughed loudly before kissing Jolie on the forehead.

"Not that kind of church. I'll be back. Don't go anywhere. I'm damn glad you're here baby girl." Jolie smiled as her brother ran inside the clubhouse.

* * *

The next afternoon, Jolie found herself sitting in a lawn chair with a water bottle settled between her legs as she watched the scene in front of her. She started to understand why Juice loved living here surrounded by these people. They really gave off a family vibe, even if it was a strange one.

Various kids were playing on the makeshift playground, the women were making sure all the men were being taken care of while the guys good naturally ribbed each other. The compound was filled with laughter and music and it was a nice atmosphere.

"Nice ink." Jolie jumped out of her skin as a deep raspy voice came up behind her. She watched as the man she was introduced to as Happy pushed her head down to get a better look at the Virgo symbol on the back of her neck.

"Uh, thanks. I got it done years ago, it needs to be touched up." She watched with cautious eyes as the bald man took a seat next to her and sipped on his beer. She felt hot as his eyes seemed to scan her body.

"So you're Juice's sister?" Jolie rolled her eyes.

"Why is everyone so shocked by this? Yes, I'm his sister. Same parents and everything." Happy nodded but didn't say anything. He didn't know what compelled him to go over and spark up a conversation with the woman. He had been talking to Elvis and couldn't help but notice that she had been sitting by herself for well over an hour just observing her surroundings. Before he could stop himself, he found his feet heading towards her. He watched as she reached in her pocket to grab her ringing cell phone. She glanced down at the screen and cursed before excusing herself.

"Baby, I'm sorry." That was the first words Jolie heard when she answered the phone.

"You stupid motherfucking piece of shit. You gotta a lot of nerve calling me." Jolie tried to keep her voice down but she was beyond pissed.

"Baby, I know you're mad but you don't understand."

"There is nothing you can to say me that would justify you taking every last dime from me, you spineless bastard. That was MY money, not yours. I'm the one that has been busting my ass to make ends meet while you do jack fucking shit and then you steal from me?"

"I got into a little trouble."

"That's not nearly as much trouble your ass is going to be in if I ever see you again. You can mark my fucking words: if I ever find you, I will fucking gut you and bury you my goddamn self. You fucked with the wrong bitch, asshole." Jolie pushed the end button on her cell phone and sighed deeply. She glanced around the lot and noticed that her brother was missing from the crowd. Jolie turned and headed towards the clubhouse to look for him.

She searched all the rooms until she stumbled upon one that was unlocked. She opened it and immediately gasped at the sight before her.

"Jesus fucking Christ! What the hell happened to you?" Juice jumped at the noise. He had just come out of the shower and was getting ready to put a tee shirt on when Jolie opened the door.

"Jolie, it's nothing." Jolie moved closer and ripped the shirt out of his hands to get a better look at his neck.

"Bull fucking shit!" She ran her hand over the neck and tears filled her eyes. "These are chain marks. Oh my God. Oh my God, Juan." She placed her hands over her mouth. "You tried to kill yourself?" She whispered quietly.

"It's complicated."

"Well uncomplicate it for me. What in the world would make you do something like this?' Juice grabbed his sister's hands and made her sit down on the bed. He made sure to lock the door before he sat down next to her. Juice proceeded to tell her everything from getting out of Stockton to killing Miles. Jolie sat stunned at the revelation and she couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face. This was her brother, the only source of blood that mattered and he was hurting so badly.

"What does this Roosevelt guy have on you that is so bad?" Juice sighed as he rubbed his Mohawk.

"He found out about Dad." Jolie raised an eyebrow.

"What? That he's a deadbeat asshole? That hardly should come as a surprise, Juan."

"No. He found out that Dad's black. If the club finds out, they will kill me."

"So your solution was to kill yourself?" None of this was making a bit of sense to Jolie. Juice stood up and started to pace the room.

"You don't get it. I lied to the club, they will see it as a sense of betrayl. I have to do what Roosevelt tells me to or he's going to make sure the club finds out the truth. All I had to do was take the brick and bring it to Roosevelt but Miles caught me. I panicked, he shot me and I just fired back."

"So leave the club. Walk out before something else happens."

"I can't do that Jolissa. This club is my home, they are my family." Juice saw a flicker of sadness pass Jolie's eyes. "I don't mean it like that. You are my sister and I love you."

"So what happens to me if you get killed? They may be your "family" but damn it Juan, I am your blood. I am the one with the big gaping hole in my life if you die. Yeah, they may be upset for awhile but they will get over it and just roll in a new computer hacker. Their lives will go on, mine won't." Juice sat back down and put his head in his hands.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Jolie." Jolie pulled her brother in for a hug and closed her eyes tightly. She tried to envision a life where her brother would no longer be a phone call away and the idea seemed unbearable to her. It was then that she made the decision that would forever change the course of her life.

"I'm moving to Charming."


	4. I'll Stand By You

_The tears are in your eyes_

_Come on and come to me now_

_Don't, be ashamed to cry_

_Let me see you through_

_'Cause I've seen a dark side too_

_When the night falls on you_

_You don't know what to do_

_Nothing you confess_

_Could make me love you less_

_I'll stand by you_

"What's this?" Jolie asked as she was handed an envelope from Harley while standing next to her car. It had been a rough week, driving back to Texas, quitting both of her jobs and trying to pack the shit she needed. Nothing had been harder than looking Harley in the eye and telling him that she was leaving three months before scheduled.

She broke down while trying to explain that she had to be with her brother without giving away too much information. To her surprise, Harley had understood. He even placed a call to his old friend Ron, who had a training academy up in Oakland who agreed to take Jolie on.

"Start up cash. You're going to need it sweetheart." Jolie glanced at the money inside and smiled.

"Thanks old man." Jolie placed the envelope in her purse before ringing out her hands. "Harley, I just want to thank for everything. I could never repay you for what you have done for me." Jolie wiped a tired hand over her eyes.

"Hey, hey, none of that shit. This isn't goodbye. I'll be up in San Jose in three months and when you make it big on the indie circuit, I fully expect you to come back here and show these assholes how it's really done." Harley leaned closer and placed his hands on Jolie's upper arms. "Family always comes first baby, no matter what. You remember that." Jolie nodded as she hugged the older man tightly. "You need anything, you pick up the goddamned phone and you call me, you hear? None of that stubborn, independent bullshit Jolie."

"Promise." Harley cleared his throat as he stepped back.

"Now I expect you to remember everything I taught you. No slacking when it comes to your training or your diet. Find a gym and I want you there every day. No goddamn potato chips and I know that you are going to drink but no beer. That shit is just empty calories." Jolie smiled at the advice.

"Yes sir." Harley opened the car door, allowing Jolie to get in. He leaned down in the open window.

"You take care of yourself and stay the hell out of trouble." Jolie started her car and Harley watched as she pulled out onto the empty highway.

* * *

Jolie looked around her motel room, searching for a pen. She had been back in Charming for less than a day and she needed to start to make a list of shit that she had to get done. She found the pen and sat down cross legged on top of the bed while she scrolled through the newspaper in search of a job. There was no way in hell she was going to be able to stay in this room for much longer.

This motel seemed to double as some sort of brothel and Jolie was not pleased with being woken up at 3am to a headboard banging and some chick faking a fucking orgasm. It's true what they say: small towns always have the biggest secrets. She glanced up when she heard a sharp knock at the door and wondered who the hell would be coming by to see her. Pulling the door open, Jolie fought to stop her eyes from rolling in the back of her head.

"Charming Welcoming Committee, I presume?" Jolie asked sarcastically while stepping aside to allow Gemma to walk in.

"What are you doing here?" Jolie shut the door and turned to face the older woman.

"You get right to the point, don't you?"

"No one even knew you existed, you show up in town for a visit and now all of a sudden you're moving here? Charming ain't exactly the big city."

"I lived in the big city; it didn't pan out too well for me."

"You didn't answer my question." Jolie weighed her options. What she really wanted to do was cuss this woman out three ways from Sunday. However, she also knew that Juice respected Gemma and maybe it was too soon to start ruffling feathers.

"My old man…he cleaned me out, took everything I worked so fucking hard to earn. I had to come up to California anyway and if I get the contract, I will be based in the area. Seemed like a sign, maybe get to spend some time with my brother, start over, shit like that."

"So you're looking for money?" Jolie scoffed at the accusation.

"I've never depended on anyone else to make due, I'm not about to start now." Jolie placed a hand on the dresser that she was standing next to you. "I've missed my brother for a long while now. He has a way of making the worst shit just a little bit better, you know what I mean?"

"You really love Juice?" Gemma asked and Jolie looked directly in her eyes when she answered.

"He's all I have left in the world." Gemma nodded, knowing that she would do anything to protect her family. She still wasn't sure if she trusted this Jolie chick or if she knew whether or not there was more to the story but there was an intriguing quality about the woman that reminded Gemma of herself at a young age. Gemma glanced over at the bed and noticed the scattered papers everywhere.

"Job hunting?"

"Yeah. I got some cash on me but I can't stay in this shithole forever."

"What do you do?"

"Anything that allows me to keep my clothes on and my legs shut. I would prefer to work nights, allowing me to train during the day. I gotta take a lot trips up to Oakland to do that." Jolie answered, making it known that she had no intention of being passed around like many of the women that she had come across.

"There is a gas station up the road from the shop. They are hiring for the third shift. Thirteen dollars an hour, you get paid to mainly sit on your ass and keep your mouth shut." Gemma placed a hand on her hip. "You think you can handle that?"

"Yeah. I can handle it." Gemma nodded her head.

"Get dressed. I'll run you up there. Then we'll grab a bite to eat and talk about trying to find you an apartment."

* * *

"What's on your mind Jacky Boy?" Chibs asked as he leaned against the bar and poured himself another shot.

"I'm thinking that this shit with Juice must be bigger than we thought if his sister is uprooting her life to move here."

"Maybe her being here will be good for him: give him some purpose or some shit." Jax took a pull from his beer. He looked up as Happy, Juice, Tig and Bobby walked into the clubhouse and took a seat at the bar.

"So your sister's here?" Juice nodded.

"Yeah she came in yesterday. Apparently, Gemma has already got her job and is helping her find a place." Jax snorted.

"Leave it to Ma to get more shit done in twenty four hours than most people do in a month. She holding her own with Gemma?" Juice smiled.

"I'm not worried about Jolie. Girl is nothing if not tough as nails." Juice's voice took on a sense of pride.

"So this wrestling shit? She any good?" Tig asked while lighting up a cigarette.

"I saw a couple of her matches on YouTube. She's good. I'm surprised she's finally gotten some control."

"What do you mean?" Bobby wondered.

"If Jolie was ever going to get in the ring, I figured it would be more boxing or some MMA shit. Someplace where she could break bones and get away with it."

"Anger issues?"

"Survival skills. I've seen that girl bash in more skulls than all of us combined." Juice played with his beer bottle before looking at Jax. "I need a favor. Jolie said that her trainer from Texas found her a place to work out but it's in Oakland. I know that she's not connected to the club, but I don't want anything happening to her."

The situation with Leroy and the Niners was rocky at best and Juice didn't want his sister being caught in some crossfire that didn't have shit to do with her. He watched as all the guys glanced at one another silently debating his request. Jax finally spoke up.

"No problem Juice. We'll make sure that one of the guys are always with her." Juice quickly shook his head.

"Nah, man. Jolie won't stand for a babysitter."

"Won't stand for?" Tig sneered. In this life, women did what they were told…well with the exception of Gemma but she had earned her right here.

"Jolie's stubborn as hell. Always wanted to take care of herself with no one's help. If she has to travel with a shadow, she'll flip out. Do shit on purpose just to make shit harder." Juice looked over at the two prospects hanging out in the corner, knowing that they were the two that were probably going to be stuck watching Jolie. "Plus the girl's got a hell of a right hook; she'll eat the fucking prospects for breakfast."

"We'll give Leroy a heads up; make sure that he knows we aren't stepping on any toes. We've been seeing eye to eye with the Niners lately." The other guys nodded in agreement as Juice breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

Jolie opened the doors to Lumpy's Gym and felt a sense of calm flood her body. The gym had always been like a second home to her.

"Hey Juice's sister!" Jolie turned to see Tig and Clay waving her over. She rolled her eyes but walked towards the two men.

"I have a name you know." She answered Tig as she readjusted the strap on her gym bag.

"Yeah, yeah, hold off on burning the bra for a second sweetheart." Tig gestured to an older man that joined the crowd. "This is Lumpy. Lumpy, this is the girl that needs to use your wonderful establishment." Jolie stuck her hand and Lumpy shook it.

"Hell of a grip you got there." Jolie just shrugged her shoulders and nodded. "We don't normally get a lot of females in here so if any of the guys give you any shit, just let me know darling and I'll set them straight." Jolie nodded her head.

"I appreciate it." Jolie scanned the room looking for the equipment she needed.

"How long are you going to be?" Jolie turned back towards Tig,

"An hour and a half tops." Jolie had always been in pretty good shape and she had her training routine down pact. She would spend forty five minutes on the treadmill using ten pound weights and then thirty minutes targeting a certain body part. She incorporated Yoga into her life about a year ago but that was something she preferred to practice in the privacy behind closed doors. Something about bending herself in various positions in front of a room of men wouldn't exactly be the smartest move she ever made.

"We'll hang around here until you're done." Jolie tilted her head to the side.

"That's really not necessary. I gotta work tonight so I will probably just head to the gas station once I get dressed."

"We have to talk to Lumpy anyway. Juice said you've been complaining about the brakes on your car. I'll have one of the prospects pick it up and Tig can give you a ride to work." Clay answered in a tone that let Jolie know it would not be wise to argue. Instead, she just turned away and got to work.

As she was running on the treadmill with Ice Cube blaring in her ears, Jolie took the time to think about her next move. She had been in Charming for about two weeks now and she had yet to run into Roosevelt. She was anxious to meet the man that was holding her brother's life in his hands.

She thought about just showing up at the police station but she knew that would raise suspicion, especially since there seemed to be a motorcycle everywhere she turned. She considered starting a bar fight, but she hadn't had a day off since coming to town. Her final idea had been to run her Charger through town going 85 miles an hour, but she didn't want to run the risk of losing her license when she had to travel to Oakland almost every other day.

JC was still struggling and it seemed to get worse as each day passed. Jolie never asked where JC went when he was gone for long stretches of time, mainly because she wasn't sure if she wanted to really know. From what she could gather, women didn't have much say around here and she had to remind herself constantly that she was here to help her brother, not make things worse.

Jolie took a deep breath when the treadmill stopped and she took the time to wipe her machine down. As she pulled the buds out of her ears and bent down to grab a towel, she felt someone smack her ass.

"Hey there babe. Looking good." Jolie gritted her teeth as she dropped her IPod on the floor. Before anyone else could react, Jolie turned around and slammed her closed fist in the stranger's face.

"Didn't your Mama ever teach you some manners?" The overly built guy touched his nose and pulled back to see his hand had drips of blood on it. He raised his hand to slap the taste out of Jolie's mouth when a voice behind him stopped him in his tracks.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you." The man turned around to see Clay and Tig glaring at him.

"She's with you? I didn't mean any disrespect." Jolie crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm not with anyone."

"Say you're sorry to the young lady before I let Tiggy here out of his cage." The young man gulped loudly and offered an apology to Jolie before running off. Jolie glared at the two men who seemed amused.

"I had that taken care of."

"You keep running around hitting men, one might hit you back." Jolie shrugged her shoulders.

"Wouldn't be the first time." She turned to finish wiping the machine down before brushing past the two men. Clay and Tig shared an amused glance and Tig started to laugh.

"I think I'm going to call this one Hell Cat."

* * *

Jolie sat behind the counter of the gas station with her legs propped up next to the register. She had the music playing softly in the background while she was watching the Triple Threat Woman's match from WrestleMania 18.

Every chance Jolie had, she was always engrossed in watching old matches to gain some ideas and learn. The match with Trish, Lita and Jazz was one of the best matches in WWE's Woman's History and Jolie had studied it so many times, she could call the match in her head with her eyes closed.

Gemma wasn't kidding when she said this was a bullshit job. She was told by her boss Tommy, that the Sons got special treatment. They paid for their gas, but not for anything in the store. The gas station was the first thing when you passed the Charming sign and she was always entertained by the boys coming in and out of town.

She glanced up from her tablet when she heard the rumble of motorcycles. She noticed that it was Juice, Opie and Happy and smirked before turning back towards her video. A few minutes later, she heard the ding of the door being opened and the unmistakable voice of her brother.

"Jesus Christ, Jolissa. You couldn't wait a month before starting your shit." Jolie looked up from her tablet and gave him a mega-watt smile.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Clay told me about your little run-in at the gym."

"Tig seemed pretty impressed." Opie added as Happy left the pair to grab something from the fridge.

"Maybe next time the asshole will think twice before he puts his hands where they don't belong. I'm not pussy-for-play."

"Can't you go anywhere without getting into trouble?"

"Says the guy wearing the gun holster and the knife attached to his side." Juice shook his head.

"Pot meet kettle. Don't act like you don't have two knives in your boots and a 9MM stashed behind the counter."

"Actually I have shot gun back here, fuck you very kindly." The two siblings shared a laugh as Opie looked on with a confused expression. "Did you come here for a purpose or just to hear yourself bitch because you know I'm not going to pay you any mind?" She noticed that Happy had made his way back towards the group but remained silent.

"I was the one that wanted to talk to you." Opie said and Jolie put her tablet down. "Lyla and I just got married not too long ago and we just bought a new house. She still owns her condo and she was thinking about renting it out. It's not much, just a small one bedroom but for the most part the place is still furnished and Lyla would be willing to rent it out to you for $600 a month."

"No shit? That would be great. Thank you." Jolie stated sincerely. She was more than ready to get the fuck out of that hotel room.

"It's about ten minutes down the road from the shop and a couple of the guys will be close by." Jolie's sincerity was starting to fade as she realized that this seemed to just be another ploy to have her being babysat. "Matter of fact, Hap here is your neighbor." Jolie looked at the silent bald man and swallowed. Something told her this was a very bad idea.

* * *

A week later, Jolie was using an old office as a make-shift locker room as she got ready. Ron had asked her if she was interested in working a few matches and she had happily agreed. Jolie needed all the in-ring time she could get right about now. It was nothing fancy: just working as a manager and doing some high spots. It was now Saturday night and it would be her last performance of the weekend.

Even though it was a small gymnasium, it attracted a pretty big crowd by most standards so that excited Jolie. Add that to the $1500 check she was getting, Jolie was a pretty damn happy girl. She was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard a knock at the door.

"Come in." Jolie turned surprised to see the entire SOA along with Gemma, Lyla and Tara come into the room.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Juice reached over to grab his little sister and pull her in for a hug.

"Figured we would come out and support you. Finally get a chance to see you do your thing up close."

"So are you a baby face or a heel?" Jolie smiled slightly at Filthy Phil who seemed proud of himself for using the wrestling terms. Nothing amused Jolie more than seeing a mark fan who thought they knew everything.

"Baby face. Just managing tonight. Nothing too special."

"Well, you certainly got an interesting get up on." Gemma remarked as she looked Jolie up and down. She was dressed in a black lace bodysuit with fur boots on her feet. Her long dark hair hung in big curls down her back and her eyes were smoky. She had to admit: it was definitely a different look than what they were used to seeing her in.

"Yeah, well, occupational hazard." Jolie shrugged as she tried to explain. Jolie cracked her neck as she rolled her shoulders a few times to loosen up her muscles.

"You better be good at this shit Hellcat. Don't really like hanging out in Oakland for shits and giggles." Jolie bit her tongue to stop a smart ass remark from escaping her gloss filled lips.

"Guess you will just have to see for yourself."

"Hey Jolie…Oh sorry, didn't know you had company." Ron said as he walked into the room. Ron was no Harley but he had been a good trainer over the past few weeks plus he had a reputation that was beyond impressive.

"It's cool Ron. Ron, this is my brother Jua…Juice and his friends. Guys, this is my trainer Ron." Ron shook Juice's hand but seemed a little nervous. Clay chuckled as he placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Don't worry. The Niners already know we're here. Everything will be alright." The color seemed to come back to Ron's face. That was exactly what he had been worried about. Ron knew Leroy for a lot of years and it wasn't uncommon for Leroy to bring a big crowd to the matches. It was his way of helping Ron out financially. Clay got everyone's attention and announced they better go get their seats. Juice kissed Jolie on the forehead as the crowd headed out. Once the door was closed Ron turned back towards Jolie.

"So your brother is a SON?" Jolie put her arms over her head to stretch.

"Yup."

"He ever see you do this before?"

"Nope." Jolie stated.

"He know about the bump you're taking tonight?"

"Nope."

"He gonna be pissed?" Jolie gave a small smile.

"Oh yeah." Ron rubbed his hand over his face.

"Shit."

"Tell me about it."


	5. Tough

**A/N: I need to give a special shot out to "LuvDavidLaBrava". She called out that my influence of Jolie's attitude being a lot like Letty's from the Fast and the Furious. Michelle Rodriguez is my girl crush.**

**However, although her attitude is more like Letty's, as far as looks, I envision Jolie to look like Leyla Milani but with dark hair. She was a finalist on one of the WWE Divas Search's as well as one of the suitcase holders on Deal or No Deal.**

**Enough with the chatter, here we go.**

* * *

_I wanted lace, I wanted pearls, to be a princess like _  
_ The other girls. _  
_ But life came hard, to my front door._  
_ And I grew up trying _  
_ To even out the score. _  
_ Tough, I ain't never been nothing but tough, all my edges have _  
_ Always been rough._

Jolie bounced on her heels as she waited for her cue. The past two days she had been working with a tag team and the guys had been more than gracious. Jose and Hector were new to the independent circuit and they had just recently teamed up together to see how their chemistry matched up. They were so new that they didn't even have a name.

Jolie heard the announcer and smiled big. It didn't matter whether there were 60 people or 60 thousand; nothing beat the sound of a live crowd. She walked slightly in front of the boys until they reached the ring. Jolie tried desperately to ignore the catcalls and obnoxious screams from her group of "supporters." She stood back as she gave the boys the "cock and walk" before jumping in the ring.

She did the normal female manager shit of showing off both men before she climbed out and stood leaning against the ring, making sure her ass was poking out. She watched intently as the guy's locked up and the match officially begun. She really hated being a manager but she knew it was part of the deal so she sucked it up.

She screamed when she was supposed to, banged the ring repeatedly and waited for her cue. She watched as Jose got hit with a steel chair and she jumped up on the ropes to grab one of the opponent's attention. When she got it, she slowly turned around to shake her ass leaving for the guy, Skip, to grab her by the back of the head and swing her into the ring.

She clambered to the corner and put her hands up to stop Spike from advancing on her. When Skip turned to attack Jose, Jolie jumped up on her knees and delivered a low blow. She crawled outside of the ring and grabbed a chair of her own. When she slid back in, she positioned the chair to hit Spike but he ducked just in time for the chair to connect with Hector.

Jolie dropped the chair and looked shocked as she was knocked from behind. She laid face down until Spike and Hunter grabbed and propped her up. She saw the table set up in the middle of the ring and knew it was time for the big finish. She also knew she was going to have a hell of a lot of explaining to do. Hunter jumped up to stand on the second turnbuckle and Spike placed Jolie in his arms.

She positioned herself so that her legs were wrapped around Hunter's neck. She felt him give her a light squeeze in order to prepare herself as she pushed her head down to soften the blow and was thrown into the table, it cracking almost immediately.

Jolie was pissed. When she had originally gone over the match with all the guys, Hunter had promised her that he was going to take the bump with her, in order to soften the blow. Obviously that shit didn't happen. She heard the crowd go wild and the bell ring as the referee called for a disqualification.

Jolie laid completely motionless until the "EMT'S" made their way down to the ring, put a neck brace on her, placed her on a gurney and whisked her backstage. Once she was wheeled into one of the rooms, she finally opened her eyes.

"Take this goddamn thing off of me." One of the guys chuckled as he removed the neck brace. Jolie tried to sit up and she felt a sharp pain attacking her shoulder. This was always the worst part. Once the adrenaline wears off, Jolie could start to feel every ache and pain that was all over her body. "Fuck!" She screamed as she looked behind her as one of the guys pulled a piece of her wood from her back.

"Sorry." She looked up as Ron walked into the room with a big smile on his face.

"That was fucking incredible, Jolie! You took that bump better than most men. You were a big hit sweetheart."

"Yeah well, it would have been nice if that ass Hunter would have told me he planned on tossing me solo. You better keep him away from me."

"Yeah about that. I'm sorry." Jolie shrugged her good shoulder.

"Nothing you could do about it but when people get wind of this, he can kiss his career goodbye before it even starts." Every inch of Jolie's 128 pound body was on fire. She sat still as she let the doc on staff patch her up. She was getting ice wrapped around her shoulder when she heard loud voices coming down the hallway.

"That shit was awesome!" Phil yelled as everyone ran into the room.

"Pretty impressive." Clay agreed.

"Looked fucking painful." Gemma muttered, Lyla and Tara nodded their heads in agreement.

"This ain't nothing. I once had my head slammed into a steel cage, now that shit was painful." Jolie smiled until she saw the look in Juice's eyes.

"I'm fine."

"Your body just went through a goddamn table!" Juice argued.

"This isn't my first rodeo. I know what I'm doing!" Jolie yelled back.

"You could have been killed."

"Are you really going to stand here and lecture me on the dangers on my line of work? Don't think you have a leg to stand on big brother." Everyone sat back a little shell shocked at seeing the siblings go at it. In all the years they had known Juice, he wasn't one to get mad.

"It's not the same thing!"

"How the fuck is it any different? You love the club, love what you do? I love the ring, it's what I do. Do you know how difficult it is for a woman in this business? So if I have to deal with a few tables, ladders and chairs to gain some respect, then that's what I will do."

"I don't like this shit."

"Would you prefer for me to go back to Miami? Or maybe how about that year I spent in Memphis? Did me doing the shit I was doing there sit better with you?"

"Jolissa, don't start."

"Don't Jolissa me, Juan Carlos. I didn't invite you here for this exact reason. I knew the bump I was going to take and I knew how you were going to react. I don't need this shit." Jolie rubbed her aching head for a moment. "You were bragging to your boys how good I was and now you have a problem?"

"It's one thing to see it on the computer; it's a whole other story to see the shit up close and personal."

"Then don't come." Jolie stated as if it was the most obvious choice.

"I don't want you doing this shit anymore." Jolie started to laugh.

"Oh I see you have been in Charming a little too fucking long. I don't give a fuck how you to talk to all those sluts that hang all over you like you're the second goddamn coming. I'm not one of them. I've never rolled over and played bitch before and I'm not getting ready to start now." By the end of her speech, both her and Juice's faces were red. They glared each other down before Juice shook his head sadly.

"You just don't fucking get it." He said quietly before walking out of the room and Jolie winced as her headache seemed to grow.

* * *

"I'm not going to apologize to you." Jolie said as she opened the door later that night to reveal Juice standing on the other side.

"Wouldn't expect you to." Juice walked past in into the kitchen and grabbed a beer. She watched him as he seemed to finish the bottle in two gulps.

"You ready to talk about that overreaction that you had?" Juice glared as he opened the freezer to grab a bottle of Red Stag. He poured two shots and slide one over to her. They took the shot in silence.

"I swear to God, Jolie, when I saw you hit that table, my heart stopped for a minute and then you were just lying there, not moving. What was I supposed to make of that shit?"

"You were supposed to be proud of your little sister for doing her job right. Shit, if I can fool my own brother, then I must be the shit." She smiled as she nudged her hip with his.

"I've got a lot of shit on my plate right Jolie: between the MC, Dad and this Roosevelt shit, I can't be worrying about you on top of everything else."

"Now you know how I feel." Jolie sighed at the defeated look on Juice's face. "I hate seeing you like this."

"Not much I can do." Jolie nodded even though she still had no idea how this MC lifestyle worked nor did she give a shit. She just wanted her brother to have some piece of mind.

"We're headed to Arizona the day after tomorrow. We'll only be gone for two, three days tops." Juice turned to look at Jolie. "I need you to be careful, no pissing people off for fun or throwing yourself off of roofs while I'm not around." Jolie crossed her heart.

"Scouts honor." Juice chuckled.

"You were never a scout Jolie."

"Oh shut the hell up." Jolie looked at the clock. "You wanna stay? Maybe finally fix up my entertainment system." Juice shook his head.

"Nah, need to clear my head. Best way to do that is balls deep inside some croweater." Jolie scrunched her nose up as she used her good arm to push her brother away.

"There is some shit I don't ever need to hear." Juice laughed as he kissed his sister on the cheek.

"Love you sis."

"Love you back." Jolie followed Juice to the door and made sure to lock up right behind him. She leaned her head against the door and let out a frustrated huff. She went in the kitchen to grab the liquor bottle and a cup filled with ice before going to sit on the small patio in the back.

As she sat down, she noticed that her neighbor's living room lights were on. Even though she was living directly next to Happy, the man had yet to say anything since complimenting her ink. To be honest she rarely saw him and she certainly never heard him.

Jolie poured herself a generous amount of alcohol and took a gulp, willing the pain in her shoulder to go away. While she was used to her body being in pain, it never got easier. Before she went to bed, Jolie knew that she had to take the ice off and sleep with her heating pad on. Jolie sat up straight as the realization just crossed her mind. There was no way she was going to be able to get this ice off on her own and Juice was bound to be occupied by now.

Jolie started to weigh her options. It was nearing two in the morning and she didn't really feel comfortable enough to call someone to come over and help her out. She crossed her fingers as she headed back in the house and crossed the hallway to the place next door. She knocked twice and rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited for it to open.

When Happy revealed himself on the other side, Jolie subconsciously licked her lips. He was standing in front of her wearing nothing more than a low slung pair of jeans giving her a full view of the massive amounts of ink that covered his extremely toned body. Happy kept one hand on the doorknob but raised an eyebrow as if giving her permission to speak.

"I hate to do this but I need help getting this ice pack off and Juice left a while ago and I completely forgot to ask him." Happy looked down at her for a moment before jerking his head, indicating for her to come inside. She walked in the living room and was immediately impressed. The place was spotless. There was a dark leather couch in the middle of the room facing a massive television. Other than those two items and a coffee table with coasters on them, the rest of the room was relatively bare.

"So how am I supposed to do this?" Happy asked in his raspy voice that sent heat throughout Jolie's body. She turned to face him.

"Um, just unwrap it. The medic used saran wrap and it's pretty tight. You may have to cut it." She watched as Happy pulled a small knife from his back pocket and opened it. She held her breath as Happy got closer and seemed focused on the task at hand. She was assaulted with his scent that was a mixture of cologne and cigarettes. It was a pure man scent and shit if it wasn't intoxicating.

Jolie winced as the wrap started to come off. She felt the water from the melted ice run down her back and it sent a shiver down her spine. She heard the clanking of the ice in Happy's hand and she took a step back.

"Hell of a bruise." Jolie shrugged her good shoulder.

"I'll live." Happy searched Jolie's big brown eyes as if he was trying to see into her thoughts. Happy had promised Juice he would look after her but so far there had been nothing to look after. Her routine seemed the same: she would either spend her days up in Oakland or at Lumpy's and her nights were at the gas station. Other than Juice and one appearance by Lyla, she had yet to have any visitors. Other than seeing her perform tonight, Happy couldn't help but wonder why the hell Juice was so nervous.

"Most bitches don't put themselves in situations like you did tonight." For some reason, the way Happy said bitch didn't come across as insulting, it just seemed like a natural thing and Jolie smiled.

"I'm not most bitches." She touched her tender shoulder and yawned. "In any event, thanks for helping me out Happy. I guess I'll see you around."

* * *

The following morning, Jolie was standing in line at the local bakery waiting to get her daily fix of coffee and a muffin. She spoke to Harley earlier and he told her to take a day off from the gym to rest her shoulder up. She had off from her job that night so she was trying to figure out how the hell she was going to spend the rest of her day.

"Nasty bruise." She heard from behind her causing her to turn around. She looked at the man with the longish brown hair and creepy vibe. He had on a motorcycle jacket and glasses. Every hair on Jolie's body stood up at attention. There was something seriously off about this man.

"You should see the other guy." Jolie offered lamely as she turned back towards the line.

"Forgive me for being rude. I'm Nick Stackhouse." Jolie turned to see the man's hand stretched out. She took it and shook it hard.

"Jolie." She offered before moving up in the line and placing her order. When the cashier came back with her order, she saw a ten being placed on the counter before she could even reach in her back pocket. She looked at the man. "That's not necessary. I can pay for my own breakfast."

"Consider it my pleasure." Jolie watched as the man took his change and placed it in the tip jar. "Please to meet you Jolie." The man tipped his head and walked out the door leaving Jolie with an ominous feeling.

"What the fuck was that?"


	6. Live To Tell

_A man can tell a thousand lies_

_I've learned my lesson well_

_Hope I live to tell_

_The secret I have learned, 'till then_

_It will burn inside of me_

_I know where beauty lives_

_I've seen it once, I know the warm she gives_

_The light that you could never see_

_It shines inside, you can't take that from me_

Eli Roosevelt sat at the kitchen table in his modest home staring off into space, a cold coffee mug long forgotten in front of him. Ever since Eli was thirteen, all he ever wanted to be was a cop. Oakland was no place for a child to grow up in the 70s and 80s. Drugs lined the streets like decorations, hookers and pimps hung out in grocery stores and church parking lots as if they represented the American family. Like most kids at the time, Eli grew up in a single parent home. If his mother ever knew who he's father was, she never once told.

He had three brothers and two sisters, all by nameless men who had knocked his mother up when she traded sex for drugs. Eli had been the middle child and the youngest boy. Out of all of his brothers, he looked up to Charles the most. Charles was a kid that was wise beyond his years, always stepping up to the plate to help his younger siblings with homework while trying to hold down an after school job to keep food on the table.

When Eli was thirteen and Charles twenty, the two brothers were walking down the street after Charles had picked Eli up from the rec center after school. It was a normal April afternoon; there was no alert that it would be the day that forever changed the course of Eli's life.

Cars speeding up and down the streets of Oakland were common so when Eli heard the squeal of tires turning the corner behind him, he did not even think to bat an eye. It wasn't until he felt his brother pushing him to the floor and the sounds of gunshots rang through the air that Eli begun to panic. He watched with blurry eyes as the late model sedan continued to drive at a warp speed before disappearing from sight.

When Eli finally turned his head, he saw the lifeless eyes of his brother staring back at him. To this day, Eli doesn't even remember screaming but apparently that's what he did. He sat there cradling his brother in his small arms as he screamed bloody murder. The neighbors peering out from behind their blinds, the sirens coming from the ambulance, the placing of the white sheet over his brother: none of that registered to him.

The cops had given him a ride home with his brother's blood still stained on his striped shirt. His mother made a spectacle of herself as she fell out in the front lawn, asking God why. Eli couldn't muster up sympathy for the woman; after all she didn't even acknowledge that her children existed. Later on he would hear stories that Charles was dating some local drug dealer's girlfriend and when the guy found out, he vowed to kill Charles. Eli never could wrap his head around it. His brother was killed over a girl? In his book, it was the true definition of a senseless crime.

He moved in with his maternal grandparents, graduated from high school and immediately joined the police academy. When he graduated at the top of his class, the code of ethics that he knew by heart seemed to define the top of cop he hoped to be:

_As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice._

His entire career, he had always lived by those ethics. His intensity had allowed him to climb the ladder in his profession and he spent fifteen years doing his best to keep the crime rate low in Oakland. When he was first approached to work in Charming, it had seemed like a good idea. He was getting older and his wife Rita was starting to get a bit restless at the amount of time that she was spending alone.

The job had seemed simple: stop a local motorcycle club from bringing violence to a small town. He knew that the former Sheriff had ties to the club and Eli was not the kind of man to be swayed. So he figured he would take the job, bring down SOA and then retire in a small town with his wife by his side. If he only knew then what he knew now. This was the first time in his 40 plus years that he realized life wasn't strictly black and white.

The residents of Charming both admired and feared SAMCRO. He heard stories about how they donated money to keep local business afloat, started fundraisers and even dropped groceries off to the elderly. However if Eli brought up some of their other activities, people immediately shut up. One woman said that she didn't give a shit what they did as long as Charming was safe. It was absurd to Eli that an entire town with the exception of a few regarded SAMCRO in such a strange light.

Everything had been going well; he knew his job and he was damn sure going to do his best to keep his eye on the prize. That all changed when Lincoln Potter showed up in his office. Eli had to admit Potter was a strange character. His mannerisms and words made Eli wonder if the man needed to be committed but he was thorough and seemed to know his shit.

The deeper Eli got, the more conflicted he became. Using the weakest man with the most to lose was always a smart move when working a case, but Eli was having trouble continuing to pressure Juice for information. Eli wondered how a kid like Juice got involved in SAMCRO in the first place. He didn't give off the same bad ass biker vibe as his brothers, he seemed like he was a lovable kid who maybe just got into the wrong crowd.

"Morning baby." Eli looked up to see Rita walk into the kitchen with a stack of flyers in her hand. She saw Eli staring at the stack of flyers and sighed.

"I'm not changing my mind on this."

"I wouldn't expect you to." Eli stood up, kissed Rita soundly on the mouth and headed out trying to prepare himself for what the day was going to bring.

* * *

Jolie walked into the lot of TM Auto with a cup of coffee in her hand. Since she had the day free, she figured she would stop by the shop and shoot the shit with her brother since he was going to Arizona tomorrow. She smiled at the few guys that were standing around as she made her way inside the clubhouse.

She was too busy looking around the room for her brother's face that she didn't notice Phil come up behind her with a stack of boxes in his hand until he literally ran into her bad shoulder. She winced and bit her tongue to cry out in pain.

"HEY DICKHEAD." Jolie heard the unmistakable voice of Happy. "Watch where the hell you're going." Phil turned around with fearful eyes as he apologized profusely to Jolie. She simply smiled and told him it was alright and then watched in amusement as one look from Happy sent the bigger man running towards the back.

"Was it necessary to make the man piss himself?' Jolie asked.

"He should have watched his step." Happy looked down at the tiny woman. He was sitting on the couch by the wall when he saw Jolie walk in wearing a pair of black jeans and a halter top, her shoulder now a nasty purple color. Happy couldn't explain why this bitch had been invading his thoughts more than necessary lately. He knew he was attracted to her, but so was the rest of the club, as they had all stated in one form or another but it was something more than that.

Happy never took on an old lady, never saw the need to. He had been a loyal member of this club for close to thirteen years now and he had seen it all when it came to chicks and he had yet to find one whose bullshit he was willing to put up with. The only woman that he had ever come across that seemed molded for this life was Gemma but she was the exception, not the rule. Happy couldn't count the number of times that he rolled his eyes while one of his brothers had to deal with a crying or pissed off old lady just because the boys came home with a little blood on their boots.

He was by no means thinking that he wanted Jolie as an old lady but she was the first woman in a long time that he was given a second glance at and he had no idea what the hell it meant.

"How's the shoulder?"

"Looks worse than it is." Jolie looked around the clubhouse again as she stood next to Happy.

"He ain't here." Happy answered Jolie's question before she could ask.

"When will he be back?" Happy shrugged his shoulders and Jolie tilted her head to the side. "Well just tell him I stopped by. See ya later Happy." Jolie waked out of the clubhouse and found herself smack dab in the middle of a fight between Opie and Lyla. Jolie had every intention of walking around them and minding her own business.

"Well maybe if you didn't eat pussy for a living shit like this wouldn't happen." Jolie was shocked when the blonde reached out and smacked the tall man clear across the face. Jolie had to admit, she was pretty impressed. The tiny girl didn't seem like she had something like that in her. Jolie readjusted her purse when Opie turned around and noticed her standing there.

"You heard that?"

"Not my business." Opie smirked as he grabbed a pack of smokes from his pocket.

"A chick that doesn't get in other people's business? I didn't know they existed." Jolie looked behind Opie as Lyla ran to her car but made no move to start it or pull away.

"She alright?" Opie turned towards the parking lot before sighing.

"Fuck if I know. Figured by the second time I would have this shit down pact by now." Jolie rocked on her heels as she saw the stress on Opie's face.

"Would it help if I talked to her? I mean, after all she did give me a place to live; least I can do is offer her an unbiased ear. Sometimes a girl just needs another girl to talk to. You know, chick shit and all that."

"Rather her talk to you than the sluts she normally associates herself with. You sure you don't mind?" Jolie waved off his concern as she jogged towards Lyla's car, knocking on the window twice to grab the girl's attention. Lyla tried desperately to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Uh…hey Jolie."

"Hey. I was wondering if you know a place where I could buy fabric." Jolie always made her own costumes and she needed some new material before the big competition.

"Sure. Hop in and I'll drive you over there." Jolie smiled as she walked around the car making sure to nod at Opie before she hopped in.

* * *

Two hours later and the two women were sitting at a restaurant handing the waiter their menus after placing their orders. Jolie liked Lyla. She was a sweet girl who had an innocence about her that completely contradicted her employment. Jolie said she was going to treat Lyla to lunch after being able to put up with the Latina in A.C Moore. Jolie took a sip from her water as she looked around the small restaurant.

"So you're not even going to ask me?" Jolie put her glass down.

"You wanna talk about it?" Lyla played with her straw as she tried to find the right words to explain what was going on.

"Op wants to have a baby. He thinks it will fix the shit that is going on between us."

"You don't want kids?"

"I already have a son, Piper. Opie has two from his first wife. I just…I just don't believe that me being pregnant is going to solve our shit."

"Aren't you two newlyweds? It seems a little early in the marriage to already have shit to solve." Jolie offered.

"I'm just trying to find my place. Gemma and Tara have stopped treating me like complete trash, at least to my face but they are their own little unit: the Queen and Princess of SAMCRO. The girls at work don't want to hang out with me like they used because they don't think I'm one of them anymore."

"Because you got married?"

"Because I became the one thing that the all want to be: an old lady. I've made sacrifices to be with Opie. I quit doing drugs, I even stopped fucking guys on camera and I took a hell of a pay cut for that shit. Now it's all fetish films and girl on girl for me." Lyla looked lost as she waited for the waiter to place the food on the table before walking away.

"You talk to your man about this? About how you're feeling?"

"He doesn't understand. His first wife got her head blown the fuck off for being in the wrong car. Couple years back, he did a five year stint on the inside. This is my life now, this is my reality and while I love Opie with everything I have, I still need to protect myself. Does that make any sense?"

"You're being cautious." Jolie stated.

"If Opie goes back to jail or god forbids, gets killed, I still have to take care of the family. I'm not Donna."

"Donna?"

"His first wife. She was practically a saint in his eyes. She worked hard, always kept her nose clean, held everything together while he was on the inside. I know that he expects me to be like her but I'm not. Before I got into porn, I was a stripper. It's not like I ever had any dreams growing up, I barely made it out of high school." Jolie nodded in understanding. While she never sucked and fucked on camera, the majority of her life was spent doing work that was illegal and mostly frowned upon by general society.

"Not all of us are meant to be a 9-5 kind of girl."

"Try telling my husband that."

"Lyla, I don't know what to tell you. I try to avoid giving advice about shit that I don't have first-hand experience with but if you ever need a friend, someone to talk to, vent, drink with, whatever; I'm here." A big smile came across Lyla's mouth.

"Really? Thanks Jolie."

* * *

When Roosevelt walked into Potter's hidden area, he stopped dead in his tracks. Potter was standing on top of the wooden table, dancing to some classic rock while staring at the various pictures that lined the wall.

"Am I interrupting something?" Roosevelt asked as he shut the door. Potter turned around and jumped off the table before grabbing the remote and shutting the music off.

"Just the man I was waiting for. It looks like our dear friend Juan Carlos may be more useful to us than we had originally hoped."

"What do you mean?" Potter grabbed a file and slid it towards Eli.

"It seems as though Charming is now holding an Ortiz family reunion." Eli opened the file to see a picture of beautiful brunette with a scowl on her face.

"Who's she?"

"Jolissa Carlotta Ortiz, Juan Carlos's little sister." Potter moved so he was standing next to Eli and pulled a few pages of the file back. Eli read the paperwork and turned towards Lincoln.

"Are you serious with this shit?"

"It seems as though illegal activity runs in the Ortiz blood and the lovely Miss Ortiz has ties deeper than SAMCRO."

* * *

Lyla dropped Jolie back off at TM before leaving to pick the kids up from school. Jolie waved her goodbyes as she wondered what she would do next.

"Hey." Jolie turned to see Gemma waving her over and she walked towards the older woman.

"Hey."

"I didn't see your car."

"I walked."

"Why the hell would you do something like that?"

"I've been banned from the gym for the next two days by my trainer. Walking allows me to feel like I'm still doing something." She looked over as a cop car made its way onto the lot.

"Shit. This fucker won't quit." Jolie followed Gemma to get a closer earful of what was going on without being too close. Jolie watched as Jax, Clay, Tig, Chibs, Juice and Happy met the two police officers midway.

"What is it now Roosevelt?" The name made Jolie stand at attention. So this was the Roosevelt who was fucking with her brother. Roosevelt smiled at Clay before looking over at Juice.

"Your P.O says you asked to go out of state for a charity run." Juice nodded his head.

"He already signed off on it."

"Well it seems like some of your paperwork got lost in the shuffle of things. I'm going to need you to come down to the station, resign some things." The cop that was standing off to the left stepped forward and grabbed his handcuffs, making Tig get in the Lieutenant's face.

"What's your deal, man? You get a hard on for Puerto Rican cock or something?" Roosevelt smiled in the man's face.

"I'm just following the law."

"Bullshit. You've been a pain in our ass since we got out. Why don't you just leave the kid alone?" It was rare for Tig to be the one to stick up for Juice and the rest of the guys just stood back and watched. Roosevelt looked past Tig and straight at Juice.

"Let's go. The sooner we get this done, the sooner you and the rest of your friends can use your bikes to save the world." Juice placed a hand on Tig's shoulder to tell the older man that everything was cool. He glared at Roosevelt as he went to make his way towards the back of the squad car.

"JC!" Jolie screamed out before she could stop herself. She needed her brother to look at her so that she knew he was going to be okay. He turned around and offered her a small smile. Roosevelt looked her way and immediately knew she was the girl from the file he had been reading earlier. He decided to try and ruffle her feathers a bit to see what would come from it. Jolie took a few steps forward to try and reach her brother.

"Don't worry sweetheart, Juice will be back soon enough for you to service him but if I could offer a bit of advice: maybe while he's gone, you should find yourself some self-respect." Juice saw all the signs before they happened: Jolie's eyes started to turn red, her jaw tensed with anger and her fingers start to turn into a fist.

"JOLIE DON'T!" But Juice's warning was too late; Jolie grabbed the wrench that was in Chibs's hand and through it directly towards the back window. Before she could even blink, the officer had Jolie pinned to the floor and was placing the cuffs on her. She bit down on her tongue to stop herself from crying out in pain as she was escorted in the back of the car. She had been looking for a way to talk to Roosevelt and it looked like she had just found one.


	7. The Impossible

**A/N: I stole a line from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas for this chapter. I was watching the movie while typing and it seemed to flow well**._  
_

* * *

_Unsinkable ships, sink_

_Unbreakable walls, break_

_Sometimes the things you think would never happen_

_Happen just like that_

_Unbendable steel, bends_

_If the fury of the wind is unstoppable_

_I've learned to never underestimate_

_The impossible_

As Jolie sat in the small cell waiting to see what happens next, she couldn't help but be tickled. Deep down, she knew that the situation wasn't funny and she was running the risk of making shit worse but the small cell, the Mayberry aspect of it all was pretty damn comical to her. Jolie sat down on the floor, figuring it would be cleaner than the metal bed. She leaned her head back against the wall and for some reason the scene from The Lion King when Zazu was being held captive by Scar seemed to cross her mind.

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts. Dee-dee-dee-dee, here they are just standing in a row. Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head." Jolie started to sing in order to pass the time.

"I'm assuming that you find our accommodations up to your standards." Jolie looked up to see Roosevelt standing above her.

"It's not the Ritz, but I'll adjust." She stayed rooted to the floor as Roosevelt opened the cell and stepped inside, leaning against the wall across from her.

"Pretty stupid move you pulled. Vandalizing a cop car in front of two police officers." Jolie studied her nails, bored already with the conversation.

"Blame it on the PMS." Roosevelt barked out a laugh.

"Pretty good answer, don't know if it will hold up in court though."

"Does this little pow-wow have a point?"

"Just trying to figure out what a pretty girl like you is doing hanging out with a bunch of bikers. Most of the women don't get offended when their self-worth is questioned." Jolie looked up from her nails and grinned.

"Now what's the point of answering that when it's clear you already know who I am."

"Nothing gets past you, huh? So tell me, why now did you choose to come out west and visit your brother?"

"Didn't know I needed a reason." Jolie stood up and brushed her pants off before leaning on the wall and crossing her arms.

"Your brother seems like a good kid." Jolie glared with everything she had.

"Don't you dare talk to me about my brother, especially not after all the damage you've done."

"I'm upholding the law, it's my job."

"No matter what the cost right?" Jolie sneered. "I'm here to protect my brother, that's MY job."

"Doesn't seem like you've been doing a good job considering his group of friends. Besides isn't he the older sibling? Shouldn't he be protecting you?"

"You're going to get him killed, you know that? My brother's blood will be on YOUR hands and for what? What do you gain out of it all? It's not like Obama is going to come and give you a medal or something. You know what's going to change? Absolutely nothing and the death of one person isn't going to change what you are."

"And what's that?"

"A chicken shit sheriff in a chicken shit town." Roosevelt and Jolie locked eyes for a minute before Roosevelt smiled.

"You got some bite to you, it's cute." He walked past the cell and held the door opened. "You're free to go, no charges will be filed. Consider it a warning; I may not be so understanding of your…womanly outbursts next time." Jolie glared as she walked past Roosevelt.

"Asshole." Roosevelt looked behind him as the cell next to him opened to reveal Potter.

"Explain to me the point of showing you her file if you didn't plan on capitalizing on it."

"She's not going anywhere, anytime soon. We have plenty of time to spend with Miss Oritz." Roosevelt turned to Potter. "I think the fun has just started."

* * *

Jolie walked out of the police station and rolled her eyes at the two motorcycles waiting in the lot. She walked down the steps and started to head in the opposite direction.

"Hey!" Jolie continued to walk as if she didn't hear the voice. "HEY!" She turned when a hand reached out to grab her.

"What?"

"Have you lost your goddamned mind?" Jax demanded.

"Some people would argue that you can't lose what you never had."

"This shit isn't funny. What the hell is wrong with you? Pissing off the cops is not a smart idea, especially not now. These new badges are fucking out to get us and the last thing SAMCRO needs is you throwing a bitch fit because they are trying to get under our skin."

"What do you want me to say? I'm sorry? Cause I'm not but if that's what you need to hear…"

"I get it, okay, I do. You're worried about Juice, we all are but he's our family and we're not going to let anything happen to him." The way Jax spoke pissed Jolie off greatly.

"He's not your family!" Jolie yelled making Jax and Chibs stare wide eyed. She pointed a finger at Chibs. "You called me here, told me that there was something wrong with my brother but you neglected to tell me that whatever was going on with him involved a chain and a goddamn tree. I asked you what was going on, and you didn't think that was something I needed to know?"

"Juice told you?"

"He didn't have a choice, I saw the marks and he told me that you two were the only ones that knew. Why the hell wouldn't you two tell me that?"

"We had to feel you at first love, figure out what you could handle." The explanation made no sense to Jolie but she had no choice but to accept it.

"This pig got Juice on some bullshit weed charges and he's just using Juice to throw his weight around. He just wants to prove that his dick is bigger, it's not anything serious. You can't flip out every time they come to pick him up." Jolie took a deep breath as she looked at Jax. If the two men only knew the truth, they wouldn't be so fucking calm about the whole situation.

"Fine, I'll try but no promises." Jax nodded as he smiled at the young woman.

"By the way, how did you walk out of here with no charges?"

"I blamed it on PMS." The two men laughed loudly and Chibs placed an arm around her shoulders.

"Come on love, I'll give you a lift home."

* * *

"Come on in. Would you like a beer?" Jolie asked as she led Chibs into her place.

"You got any whiskey?"

"Coming right up. Make yourself at home." Jolie went in the kitchen to retrieve a bottle and two glasses. She took a seat next to Chibs and poured them both a generous amount before clicking their glasses together.

"Is JC going to get in trouble for what I did earlier?" Chibs shook his head.

"Nah love, although Clay will probably warn him to keep you and that attitude of yours contained." Jolie rolled her eyes at the thought of anyone being able to put restraints on her.

"I understand, you know." Jolie looked questioningly at Chibs. "The love of a family is the strongest thing alive. Most of the boys are in bred or they don't have a lot of family so sometimes it's hard for them to understand."

"You got a family Chibs?" Chibs reached in his pocket to pull his wallet out.

"Aye. This here are my girls: Fiona and Kerrianne." Jolie looked at the picture and her eyes almost bugged out of her head.

"Holy shit, she's black." Jolie looked up at the amused expression on Chibs's face. "I didn't mean it like that. I mean…no I was right the first time. Holy shit." Chibs chuckled a bit.

"Surprised?"

"Your club doesn't seem like the type to be struck with jungle fever."

"Fiona is in a class of her own. Her life is bigger than the Sons of Anarchy."

"You love her?"

"Aye. My girls were ripped from me a few years back. Leaving them was the hardest thing I ever did but it was the only option, the only way I could keep my girls safe. My daughter barely even knows me, looks at me most of the time like I'm a stranger."

"Do you get to see them often?"

"More now than I could before. When the boys were inside, I spent some time in Belfast where they are but it's not the same. Too many years have passed, too many things that can never be spoken about. Things like that can tear a family apart, no matter how good the intentions." Jolie looked at the picture and studied the two women.

"So this black thing? You guys take that very seriously?" Chibs looked over at Jolie who was still staring at the picture.

"Big difference between a member and an old lady. You can't help who you fall in love with but you can help who you patch in. I know that you are a bit lost, don't really understand how we do things or why the hell Juicy boy would live in this world but we are a family, even if a fucked up one. I love your brother like he was my own blood." Jolie nodded her head as she blinked back the tears. Chibs may feel that way about Juice now but if the truth ever came out, Jolie doubted he would still have the same emotions.

"Chibs? I…" The pounding of the door stopped Jolie from finishing her thought. She looked through the peephole and sighed before opening the door.

"Chibs here?" She opened the door wider allowing Tig and Clay to walk in. Clay took in the serious expressions on both Chibs and Jolie's faces. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah. Chibs just gave me a ride home from the station."

"They didn't charge you?" Tig asked in disbelief. When Jolie shook her head, Tig started to chuckle. "What did you have to do to make that happen?" The implication wasn't lost on Jolie but she tried to remain calm.

"Is there anything I can do for you guys?"

"Just came to pick up Chibs doll." Chibs stood up and made his way over to the door. He kissed Jolie on the forehead and gave her a small smile. Tig and Chibs walked out the door, leaving Jolie standing there with just Clay. Jolie looked up at the man.

"I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. I'm not used to seeing people treating my brother like that and not being able to do anything about it. I have a tendency to see red when it comes to my family but I don't want to bring any trouble to your club." Clay looked at the women trying to figure out if she was sincere or not. Finally, he smiled down at the tiny woman.

"Appreciate your apologies. I understand the urge; my old lady got quite the temper too." Jolie smiled with relief. "Take care of yourself doll, I'll see you soon."

* * *

Roosevelt walked inside his office and smiled at Juice. "You're sister is quite the interesting woman."

"Leave her out of this."

"Now how am I supposed to do that after her little episode today?" Juice leaned forward in his chair.

"You wanna come after me, there ain't shit I can do about it but my sister is off limits. She's not a part of the club; she has nothing to do with this shit."

"You two are very protective of one another. I can appreciate that." Roosevelt nodded towards the papers on the desk. "You sign them all?"

"For the second time, yeah they're all signed. Can I go now?"

"How close are you and Jolissa?" Juice gritted his teeth as he tried to remain composed.

"Did you not hear me? My sister is off limits." Roosevelt lifted his hands up.

"Just general conversation. I can't help but wonder how many secrets are not being shared between two people that obviously love each other so much."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"How much do you know about the time she spent in Miami?" Juice remained quiet as he looked at Eli, his face not giving off any emotions. "Not going to answer? Alright, not like it matters much anyway." Eli slid a folder over to Juice and the young man opened it. Eli watched as Juice read over the paperwork furiously.

"Judging by your reaction, I can only assume that you weren't fully aware of everything Jolissa was a part of." Juice slammed the folder shut and looked at the man that was making his life a living hell.

"What do you want from me?" Eli stood up from his chair and walked over to Juice.

"I suggest you find a way to get some cocaine in my possession fast because I am not above using your sister to get what I want." Eli left the room and Juice took a shaky breath.

"Jesus Christ Jolie. What have you done?"


	8. Outside The Crowd

_You don't know my name_

_you don't know anything about me_

_I try to play nice_

_I want to be in your game_

_The things that you say_

_You may think I never hear about them_

_But word travels fast_

_I'm telling you to your face_

_I'm standing here behind your back_

_You don't know how it feels_

_To be outside the crowd_

_You don't know what it's like_

_To be left out_

_And you don't know how it feels_

_To be your own best friend on the outside looking in_

Jolie was lying down on the floor stretching her muscles when she heard a knock at the door. Jolie rolled her eyes as she started to stand up. She had been by the compound this morning and watched the boys leave to go to Arizona before heading back to her own home.

"Uh hey?" Jolie said as she moved past to allow Gemma and Tara to walk inside the apartment.

"You're sweaty."

"Am I?" Jolie asked sarcastically. She grabbed her towel off the floor and started to wipe her face with it.

"That whole thing with the cop yesterday…"

"It's not going to happen again. Chalk it up to momentary lapse of insanity. It's usually JC watching me being handcuffed, not the other way around." Gemma nodded as Tara remained quiet. "So what's up? You don't strike me as the kind of woman that shows up without a purpose." That made Tara smile a bit while Jolie reached down to wrap up her Yoga mat.

"So what's your plan? How long do you plan on sticking around?" Jolie placed the mat in the corner of the living room before sitting down on the loveseat across from Gemma and Tara.

"I'm not really a girl with a plan. I sort of just go with the flow, end up where I end up. I never really think too much about tomorrow."

"Sounds like a gypsy."

"Well I do have a fondness for bangles." Jolie smiled. "I've only been in Charming for three weeks, still taking the time to reconnect with my brother. I know for sure I'll be here for the next two and a half months. Anything after that is anyone's guess."

"Juice says if you get this wrestling contract, you will be primarily based in San Jose. That's only about two hours from here."

"Yeah they make a lot of their money showcasing their PPV's online so there isn't a whole lot of travel needed like some of the other organizations."

"So if you do get the contract, you could still stay here?" Jolie smiled.

"What's with the big concern about my living arrangements?" Tara and Gemma glanced at each other.

"If you plan on being a permanent part of this town, that means, whether you like or not, you will be a part of the club and if that's the case, then there are some rules that you need to familiarize yourself with."

"Rules?"

"Yeah like knowing your place and not throwing wrenches at cop car windows." Tara smiled.

"Instead, be like Gemma and smack people in the face with a skateboard."

"That was one time." Gemma remarked.

"Like I said it's not going to happen again and as far as the whole rules thing, how about we just play it by ear? Don't really want to have to memorize the dos and don'ts if I'm not going to need to."

"When the boys come back, I'm holding a pot luck at my house for everyone. The girls normally show up around four to help with the cooking and setting up."

"I'm assuming my presence there isn't optional." Gemma smiled at the young woman.

"You catch on quick." Gemma grabbed her purse and stood up. "Bring a platter when you come over." Gemma waved goodbye and headed out the door. Jolie sighed heavily and looked at Tara.

"Is she always like that?"

"Yup."

"Jesus Christ." Jolie headed towards the kitchen as Tara waved her goodbyes.

* * *

Two days later Jolie knocked on the door of the Teller-Morrow residence at 3:45. She was casually dressed in a light blue pair of jeans and a red shirt, her long hair was pulled back in a messy bun. She smiled when Gemma opened the door.

"Right on time." She followed Gemma in the house towards the kitchen. "What's that in your hand?"

"Cheesecake."

"You couldn't have made it yourself?" Gemma questioned, looking at the label on the blue box.

"I'm not Donna Reed."

"You don't cook?"

"I don't bake. I didn't know how many people were going to be here so I figured dessert was the better option."

"Next time, bring something you cooked." Jolie clenched the box tightly before placing it on the kitchen table. She washed her hands at the sink and noticed that no one else was there.

"I thought you said the women do the cooking and setting up."

"They'll be here. For now it's just you and me." Gemma smiled in her direction while she pulled a joint from the pocket on her shirt. "Grab the cutting board and knife. You can start chopping up the vegetables for the pasta salad." Jolie turned and grabbed the materials as Gemma continued to stare at her.

"I'm still trying to figure you out." Jolie nodded as she chopped up the tomatoes. "I've come up with a few theories."

"Any of them any good?"

"Not yet." Jolie smiled to herself.

"Sorry to disappoint." Gemma put her joint down in the ashtray and got close enough to Jolie to make sure the younger woman looked at her.

"I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt but if I think for one second that you are here to hurt anyone I love, I will destroy you. Are we clear?" Jolie made sure that she never broke eye contact with Gemma.

"Crystal."

"Hello?" Both women turned to see Lyla standing there with a pan in her hand and three kids by her side.

"Hey Lyla." Jolie warmly greeted the woman as the kids ran into one of the back rooms. She accepted a kiss on the cheek from Lyla as she went back to her task of cutting the vegetables.

"I brought scalloped potatoes."

"Thanks baby. Just put them on the counter. I'll reheat them right before dinner." Lyla did as she was told before washing her hands and grabbing an apron. Gemma's cell phone rang and she went outside to answer it.

"She give you the third degree?"

"She tried." Jolie answered honestly.

"Yeah. When she found out that Opie asked me to watch the kids for the first time, she and Tara damn near took my head off." Jolie gave Lyla a sympathetic look.

"But she came around." Lyla shrugged her shoulders as she looked down at one of the towels placed on the sink.

"Yeah I guess but I don't have any delusions to what she really thinks of me."

"You must really love Opie to put up with all this shit." Lyla smiled sadly as she looked at Jolie.

"I do but trust me when I tell you there were some days I wish to God I didn't." Gemma walked back in the room with her cell phone in her hand.

"2 hours til the boys get here. Let's get to work."

Jolie was placing the dishes on the table as she listened to the constant banter that surrounded her. Gemma's house was officially filled to the brim with laughter and noise. Jolie finished putting down the last plate before heading back in the kitchen. She looked through the window and saw Chibs with his arm around Juice as the pair laughed along with Tig at some story that Jolie was sure was disgusting.

Jolie smiled at the sight with a heavy heart. This town, those people, all of it had become Jucie's home and Jolie wasn't completely sure if she fit in. She wasn't lying when she told Gemma that she didn't have a plan but looking at how happy her brother was, Jolie couldn't help but wonder if maybe she had been doing it wrong the whole time. What would happen if they were able to find a way to get Roosevelt off his ass?

Would she stay in Charming and try to live by the rules of being a woman in a biker's world? Would she go back to Texas and pick up where she left off at the diner and bar? Or would she throw caution to wind and start over somewhere completely different? Deep down, Jolie knew that she only had about two or three more good years on the indie circuit before she would be considered too old.

Jolie shook her head as she tried to get the nagging questions out of her brain. She had to stop thinking too much; it was never a good idea. She winked when Juice looked over and offered her a mega-watt smile. Juice was still concerned regarding the file that Eli had given him, but he wasn't sure how to approach it to Jolie and he was enjoying having her around, so he figured he would leave well enough alone for now.

"Come on everyone. It's time to eat." Jolie looked at the clock and grabbed her purse.

"Where are you going?" Gemma asked with one hand on her hip.

"Work."

"You don't have enough time to sit and eat?" Jolie shook her head.

"Sorry but my bills aren't going to pay themselves." Jolie walked around Gemma's glare and headed towards Juice. She kissed him on the cheek.

"See ya later."

"I'll call you tomorrow." Jolie waved goodbye at everyone before walking away. When the door closed, everyone turned to look at Gemma.

"What are you all staring at?" When no one said anything, Gemma sighed dramatically. "You heard the girl, she had to work. So don't start blaming me. I didn't do anything." Jax and Clay shared a knowing look before heading to the table to eat.

* * *

"So how's everything going?" Harley asked over the phone as Jolie was sitting behind the register, drumming her fingers on the counter.

"It's going, I guess."

"Things with your brother aren't getting any better?" Jolie sighed as she glanced at the clock.

"I don't know. He's dealing with a shitload of his own demons and I'm not really sure if my being here is doing more harm or good."

"I'm sure you are doing your best darling. Ron spoke highly of you. Told me how great you were but I already knew that. After all, you were trained by the best." Jolie smiled into the phone.

"Always the modest one."

"Of course. Well darling, I hear the wife calling my name so I best get off the phone before she starts yelling. Keep up with your routine and I'll see you in two months."

"Alright old man. Send my best to Jackie." Jolie hung up the phone and leaned forward to place her chin in her hand. She had left her tablet at the apartment and she was beyond bored. She looked over as a motorcycle pulled in and she sat up straight when she noticed it was the weird guy from the bakery a few days prior.

"Seems we meet again." The man said as he walked in the store.

"Bound to happen in a small town, I guess." She watched as the man seemed to decide on a pack a gum before placing it on the counter. Jolie rang up the gum and the gas that he had pumped.

"15.25" The man reached into his pocket and pulled out a twenty. She quickly placed the money in the drawer and counted out the change. "Here you go."

"Thank you very much." The man turned towards the door. "It's a shame what they are trying to do to the gardens."

"Huh?" Jolie asked confused until she saw the flyer that was posted on the wall, signaling that next month there was going to be a fundraiser to save the gardens from being destroyed for Charming Heights. "Oh yeah, tragic." Jolie commented with a shrug of her shoulder.

"Not a fan of the gardens?" Jolie shrugged.

"I haven't really been here long enough to have an opinion either way." Jolie sighed with relief as Tig and Happy pulled up and walked inside the store. Tig looked the man up and down before he turned back towards Jolie.

"Jolie, always a pleasure." She nodded her goodbyes as the man walked out towards his bike.

"Who the hell was that?" Tig asked.

"I don't know."

"Well then how does he know your name?"

"He introduced himself the other day when I was getting coffee, Nick something or other. I didn't really pay him much mind."

"I don't like him." Jolie smiled at Tig's tone.

"I have the feeling you don't like most people."

"Normally don't see a guy riding that we don't know." Happy added in his two cents.

"Think we should have Juice check it out?"

"Is everything a conspiracy theory around here?" Jolie asked causing the two men to look at her.

"You can never be too cautious hellcat. What's your take on him?"

"He seems a bit creepy and he can't stop staring at my tits, but that's not really a big deal since YOU seem to be doing that too." Tig moved his eyes up and smiled.

"Sorry." Tig said in a tone that was anything but apologetic. "Let us know if the guy starts bothering you or anything."

"Will do."


	9. Obvious

_Can you hear it in my voice_

_Was it something I let slip_

_Does the whole world know_

_Isn't it obvious?_

_I'm the one who's in control_

_Now i'm acting like a fool_

_Do my feelings show?_

_Is my face aglow?_

_Isn't it obvious?_

_That I don't know what_

_I'm doing anymore_

_I'm feeling like a little girl_

_Caught up in emotions_

_I'm out of control_

Jolie stood in front of the full length mirror and looked over her reflection. The past month had been hectic as Jolie threw herself into her training as well as tried to keep a constant eye on Juice. In short, she was exhausted and desperately needed a release. When Lyla called and told her there would be a party at the clubhouse, Jolie jumped at the chance to let her hair down.

She had on a long sleeve purple and black tunic top and matching black shorts. On her feet were four inch platform wedges and her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. She turned around to make sure that her ass wasn't hanging out. Once she was satisfied with her look, she grabbed her keys and headed for the door. She was just locking up when she heard the door behind her open. She turned to see Happy standing there.

"Hey."

"Hey. You headed to the clubhouse?"

"Yeah. I'm long overdue for a drink. You going?"

"I'll be there." Jolie nodded. She walked in front of him and tensed slightly as his hand seemed to touch her back as if guiding her to the car. She got in and took a deep breath. If that man only knew the thoughts that had been running through her head lately. It seemed like her dreams were on the permanent Happy channel and each dream was more erotic than the last.

Jolie couldn't explain her constant fascination with Happy considering they barely had any real conversations with each other, other than mundane things. Sure he was handsome, but so were a lot of the other men in the club. Maybe it was his deep raspy voice that sent chills down her spin and made Jolie think what his voice would sound like pressed up against her ear in a sensual whisper.

Maybe it was watching him work at the auto shop, his muscles working against the wife beater allowing her access to see his strength. It could be his intense dark eyes that seemed to always be looking through her or his silent, protective nature that made her feel secure without having to say a word. Whatever it was, Jolie officially was a grown ass woman with a teenage like crush on the bald biker.

Jolie leaned on her car horn to get people to move out the way so she could park her car on the compound. She stepped out and gave the finger to some sweet butt who glared in her direction. She walked into the clubhouse and Lyla immediately wrapped her arms around Jolie.

"Thank God you're here." Jolie smiled as she hugged Lyla back.

"Nice to be wanted. Now let's get me a drink." The two women walked towards the bar and placed their order.

"How's your night going?" Lyla shrugged as she nodded over to the corner where Opie was talking to Bobby.

"He agreed to hold off on the baby talk and I agreed to try and find something else to do for employment."

"Are you okay with that?"

"I can't fuck for money for the rest of my life." Lyla took a sip of her drink.

"What about working behind the scenes? I mean, I'm sure you have enough experience that you learned a thing or two about how shit works. Porn is a profitable business, even if you're not in front of the camera."

"That's actually not a bad idea." Lyla placed a sloppy kiss on Jolie's cheek, making them both laugh. "Thanks Jolie."

"No problem babe." Lyla nudged Jolie with her hip. "He's heeerrrreee." Jolie didn't have to turn around to know who Lyla was talking about. She had admitted to the blonde about her crush on the bald man and Lyla was fully supportive of the idea.

"Ugh, don't start."

"He is hot."

"He's also connected to my brother. It can never happen."

"What Juice doesn't know won't hurt him." Jolie raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not a kid anymore. This whole thing is stupid." Jolie took a shot and let the whiskey burn her throat. "I just need to get laid; it's been way too fucking long."

"That should be the least of your problems. Girl, you're hot." Jolie chuckled as she looked at Lyla's empty glass.

"How much have you had to drink?"

"Not enough but give me time." Jolie signaled for two more shots and she pushed one towards Lyla.

"Here's to a good night that we hopefully won't remember in the morning." The girls clinked their glasses together before taking their respective shots.

* * *

"They seem to be getting along." Jax observed from his spot in between Happy and Opie while pointing at Jolie and Lyla who were currently laughing their asses off while one of the prospects seemed to be turning a deep shade of red.

"Lyla likes her, says she feels less like an outsider."

"Outsider?"

"The porn bitches think she's not one of them anymore and Tara hasn't really talked to Lyla since the wedding." Jax sighed. He hated the fact that Tara wouldn't at least put in some kind of effort. He knew that Tara frowned upon Lyla's profession but she was his best friend's wife and that had to count for something.

"You want me to talk to her?'

"Nah, bro. No sense in trying to make them two be friends." Jax took a sip of his beer before peering over at Happy.

"Hey Hap. What's your take on the chick?" Happy shrugged his shoulders as he kept his eyes trained ahead of him.

"She doesn't really give away too much. She keeps to herself, not too many visitors. I could set my fucking watch to her schedule." Jolie living next to Happy was planned by Jax. With everything going on, he needed someone to keep an eye on her in case her motives for being here weren't truly pure. Jax figured there was no better person to watch Jolie without being suspicious than Happy.

"Tig wants to know if she's kinky in bed considering how flexible she was in the ring." Opie said making Jax chuckle.

"Think he'll ever find out?"

"Nope." Opie and Happy answered at the same time. Jax glanced over at Happy.

"Hey Hap, you feeling her?"

"She's hot but I like to keep my dick drama free and a bitch like that is bound to come with strings." Happy looked over at the two men standing next to him. "I'll leave that shit for you two." The three men laughed as Jolie made her way over to them.

"You may wanna get your wife; she's talking about challenging your Dad shot for shot." Opie put his beer down.

"Shit." He walked quickly over towards his wife before she dug herself in a hole.

"How you feeling darling?" Jax asked as Jolie smiled wide.

"Good, really good. I needed this." Jax's eyes twinkled with amusement as Jolie tilted her head back and started swaying to the classic rock song blaring throughout the club.

"Hope you don't plan on driving tonight."

"Yeah, I figured that would be a bad idea about four shots ago." Jolie giggled as she looked around the room. "Have you seen JC?"

"Last time I saw him, he seemed pretty wrapped up in some blonde." Jolie rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Twenty years later and the boy still has a type. Oh well, I'll find another way home."

"I'm sure Happy can take you home." Jolie turned to look at Happy.

"You won't mind?"

"Of course he won't mind. After all, what else are neighbors for?" Jolie raised an eyebrow at Jax before looking back at Happy.

"Can you take your hand out of the dummy's ass and speak for yourself?" Jax almost spit out his beer laughing.

"I'll take you home but I ain't leaving anytime soon."

"Good cause I wasn't ready to go." Jolie walked away and Happy's eyes remained fixed on the sway of her hips. Jax smirked when he noticed.

"Maybe that kind of trouble is just what you need, killer."

* * *

The following morning Jolie pulled her head up and immediately regretted it. Her whole body was in a pain and she was suffering from cotton mouth.

"Should've quit while I was ahead." Jolie muttered to herself. She slowly rolled over and tried to piece together the events from the night before.

She remembered dancing with Lyla, taking shots with Chibs and rolling her eyes when she saw her brother appear from the back, buttoning up his pants. She looked down and noticed that all of clothes were still on and she was in own bed but how the hell she got there was a complete mystery.

Jolie gingerly made her way to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and splashed some cold water on her face. She winced when she saw the obviously hung over expression on her face.

"God I need coffee." Jolie walked back into the bedroom and didn't even bother to change her clothes. Instead she just put on a pair of flip flops and grabbed her purse. She placed the sunglasses over her blood shot eyes and walked out the front door.

"Morning." Jolie grabbed her head when she heard the raspy voice. She couldn't even muster up the energy to glare when she heard Happy start to chuckle. "Where are you going?"

"Coffee." Jolie looked over towards Happy and was annoyed to see that he didn't show any signs of partying the night before.

"Going out like that?"

"Unless you know of a place that delivers coffee, then yeah I'm going out like this." Happy looked at her with amusement.

"Come on in. I just started a pot." Jolie followed him in the apartment and took a seat at the breakfast bar and placed her head down. The cold feeling on her forehead was soothing.

"How in the hell did I get home last night?"

"My bike."

"Really?" Jolie asked surprised.

"Don't you remember talking to me and Jax last night?"

"Yeah, I remember that part. I just can't believe that I was able to stay on the back of a bike without falling off."

"It was an interesting trip." Jolie looked up.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Probably not." Jolie put her head back down.

"Oh god."

"Anyone ever tell you that you get handsy when you're drunk?"

"Oh God." Happy placed a mug in front of Jolie's face and she happily took a sip. "How bad was I?"

"Most chicks that ride bitch don't normally put their hands underneath my shirt."

"Oh God."

* * *

"Sunglasses over the face, leaning against the counter, holding a coffee cup like it's a lifeline. Yup, it looks, walks and talks like a hangover."

"Oh bite me." Jolie turned from her spot at to look over and glare at Lyla. "How the hell are you so chipper?"

"Op made me drink water and take two Advil before I passed out. Last night was fun."

"Yeah apparently it was even more fun that I remembered."

"What are you talking about?" Jolie replayed her conversation with Happy from earlier and Lyla started to laugh.

"You basically molested the SAMCRO killer. That shit is funny."

"Oh shut up." Jolie took another sip of her coffee.

"You got plans today?"

"I was going to go to the gym but the thought of it made me dizzy. I came here to find Juice but apparently he's out for a ride."

"You wanna go shopping with me? I got one of my royalty checks in the mail and I want to pick Piper up some new things for his birthday." Jolie nodded her head as the main door opened and Gemma walked inside.

"Good, you're both here." Jolie and Lyla glanced at each other before turning back to Gemma.

"What's going on?"

"Clay wants everyone to stay in the clubhouse. We are going on lockdown."

"Why?" Lyla asked.

"What the fuck is a lockdown?" Jolie wondered. Gemma sighed as the door opened and Chibs, Clay and Tig walked in and immediately went inside the chapel, shutting the door.

"Someone put a death threat in Tara's car."

"Is it serious?" Lyla asked.

"I don't know but until we find out anything, you two are staying right here."


	10. I'm Not Dead

_I'm not dead just floating_

_Right between the ink of your tattoo_

_In the belly of the beast we turned into_

_I'm not scared just changing_

_Right beyond the cigarette and the devilish smile_

_You're my crack of sunlight_

Jolie paced back and forth in front of the bar as she was half worried and half bored. She watched as the guys ran in and out, going behind chapel doors before leaving. Some came back, others haven't yet. Her brother was one of the ones that hadn't come back yet. Lyla had taken the kids to be with Opie's mom and Tara was getting her two little ones ready to drop them off at the babysitter's because she had been called into surgery.

"Helping with the kids could take your mind off things." Jolie stopped pacing and turned to look at Gemma.

"Kids aren't really my thing."

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't like them and they don't like me. Trust me; you don't want me helping out." Jolie stated as she resumed her pacing. A few moments later, Tara waved goodbye and Gemma announced that she was going in the office to do some paperwork, leaving Jolie all alone.

Jolie got tired of her own pacing and took a seat at the bar. She never in a million years could have predicted the life her brother would end up living. She was always the one that craved danger and excitement, never knowing what was around the corner. She had spent many years being careless with her own life. Jolie remembered she was watching Grey's Anatomy, one of her few guilty pleasures before they ruined one of her favorite characters, and Meredith was talking to her shrink.

_You know, people run away from this line between life and death. You seem to stand on it and wait for a strong wind to sway you one way or the other. You're careless with your life. You're not slitting your wrists but you're careless._

Those four sentences could sum up the majority of Jolie's life. Even though she was now trying to lead a "normal" life, her occupation still held a great level of danger. One wrong move and her neck could snap, killing her instantly. Jolie rubbed a hand over the back of her neck just thinking about it. She knew that JC desperately wanted a family environment and from Jolie could judge, SAMCRO did give off a family vibe but Jolie wondered if that was really enough to make JC stay?

Jolie jumped down from the barstool, tired of trying to over think things. She grabbed her car keys from her back pocket and made her way outside. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even pay attention to the bodies that were talking on the bench. If she had, maybe she would have been able to prepare herself.

"Hey!" Jolie was halfway to her car when she halted at the sound of Happy's voice. She turned around but made no movement to walk any closer, forcing him to close the distance between the two.

"Where are you going?'

"Home. I want to get a nap in before I gotta go to work."

"We're on lockdown." Jolie crossed her arms over her chest.

"No. YOU'RE on lockdown. I don't have shit to do with any of this." Happy rolled his eyes behind his dark sunglasses. When Clay sent Juice back up to the reservation, Happy could tell he was skeptical about leaving his baby sister alone. Happy told the kid to go on and he would look after her. Happy should have known the little bitch wasn't going to make it easy on him.

"You're in Charming and you're Juice's sister, that makes you the club's responsibility."

"Bullshit." Jolie was still nursing a hangover, bored out of her mind, tired of thinking too much and all she wanted to do was lie in her bed and gather her thoughts.

"Why won't you just do what you're told?"

"Because I'm not an animal?" Jolie asked sarcastically.

"I promised the kid I would look after you."

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." Jolie turned around and was headed back towards her car when an arm jerked her backwards. She wanted to protest, but Happy being so close to her seemed to shut her brain off.

"We can do this one of two ways. You either give me your fucking keys and go back inside or I put you over my shoulder kicking and screaming and then chain you to a goddamn wall."

"Kinky." Jolie remarked but handed her keys over. She had a feeling Happy was running out of patience and she really needed to keep some distance between the two of them before she did something that she couldn't take back. Like pushing him to the ground and mounting him right then and there. She watched as Happy pocketed her keys before finally letting her go.

"This shit is not a game. You leave this compound unprotected and something happens to you, Juice will be the one that suffers. You willing to put him through that because you want to be a childish pain in the ass?"

"What shit? I don't even know what's going on."

"It's not your concern." Happy watched as Jolie crossed her arms and nodded her head in a quick fashion.

"Why yes Master. I'm just going to go back in my bottle now." Jolie said in a submissive "I Dream of Jennie" tone. She rolled her eyes as she walked past Happy. "Your people skills suck."

Happy watched her walk away and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fucking pain in the ass."

Jolie stormed back into the clubhouse and sat back down at the barstool she had vacated a couple of minutes prior.

"Hey Jolie." Jolie looked up and gave a strained smile.

"Hey Phil. Do you have any water bottles back there?" Phil looked behind the bar and grabbed a water bottle from the small fridge. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Jolie unscrewed the cap and took a long sip of the cold drink as she tried to steady her heartbeat. How could she be so attracted to a man that she wanted to throttle?

"You alright?" Phil asked as he was studying Jolie's facial expressions. She seemed to be lost in thought.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Alright. Well I gotta go but if you need anything, just go behind the bar."

"Thanks Phil." Jolie answered sincerely. Jolie pulled out her phone and started to play Words with Friends in order to occupy her time. She was trying to come up with a word to use that would give her a triple letter points when she watched as all the members of SAMCRO that weren't already there walk in and headed straight for the chapel.

Juice placed a chaste kiss on Jolie's head as he walked past her and she knew by the looks on everyone's faces that something big was getting ready to go down. Jolie glanced down as the cell in her hand vibrated and she smiled at the text message from Harley. She was in the process of texting him back when the first shots rang out.

As if on instinct, Jolie immediately hopped over the bar and landed hard on the floor. She heard gunshots, yelling and tires squealing but she remained rooted where she was. The chaos seemed to die down and she heard her brother frantically calling for her.

"I'm here." Jolie yelled as she stood on shaky legs to make herself seen. She was immediately pulled into a hug by Juice and she held him tightly.

"Fuck, you're bleeding." Jolie looked down as she tried to find the source of the blood.

"I think it's just broken glass." Chibs whistled to gain Juice's attention and he ran out of the clubhouse, Jolie not far behind. She watched as everyone seemed to be pissed at the recent events. Happy had some guy pinned to the ground with a gun placed at the back of his head. Jolie walked towards the van when she saw a duffel bag laying there that no one else seemed to notice.

The smart thing to do was to just to yell out that something was there and stay out of it. But Jolie was nothing if not difficult and nosey so she walked towards the bag and leaned down to check out its contents.

"Um guys?" Jolie was still bending down over the bag but no one seemed to be listening to her. "GUYS!" She waited until everyone turned her way and she pointed at the bag. "I think you got a big problem on your hands."

The boys walked towards the duffel bag and she heard Jax mutter "Shit" as they opened the bag further. Apparently one of the heads belonged to some guy named Armando. Jolie was picking up bits and pieces of the conversation but she wasn't really interested.

When Juice told her the story behind his suicide attempt, he mentioned that the Sons were involved in some deep shit with a group of guys but he never mentioned who they were. Jolie wondered what kind of deep shit involved dropping off heads and trying to shoot up a clubhouse.

"You alright?" Jolie blinked twice as Tig stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"Yeah. I'm good." Tig looked over as two cop cars pulled into the lot and all the men started to take off their cuts.

She stood back and listened as Jax and Roosevelt seemed to be enthralled in some pissing contest. She heard him announce that they were shutting the compound down as it was now a crime scene. Roosevelt turned and glanced her way and Jolie immediately got on the defensive.

"Miss Ortiz, seems we meet again."

"Blow me." Jolie sneered as Roosevelt looked her up and down.

"Are you alright? I can't help but to notice that you're bleeding."

"No big deal. I bleed once a month." She watched as all the guys around her seemed to grimace.

"You don't have to stay here. We can escort you to your home and make sure you're safe." Jolie rolled her eyes.

"That's not necessary." Jolie's unwillingness to recognize the danger in front of her was pissing Roosevelt off.

"Oh I'm sorry I forgot. Danger is nothing new for you, is it?" Jolie glared as Roosevelt walked away from her.

"What the hell was that supposed to mean?" Gemma asked from her spot next to Jolie.

"Hell if I know." Jolie turned and walked towards the picnic table and sat down.

Clay hung the phone and gathered the men that were still on the compound. "Romeo is making a personal appearance to our lovely establishment."

"What the hell for?" Jax questioned. Romeo always opted to meet in various open fields.

"The whole headless shit is the working of a rival cartel, the Lobos or some shit. Romeo said he needs to go over some things with us."

"So what's the plan?" Clay looked down at his watch.

"I have to go meet with Oswald about the gardens. Gemma and I are attending the fundraiser while the rest of you go up to reservation to see if Happy has had any luck getting the wetback to talk. Then we all meet back here afterwards to meet with Romeo." Everyone nodded as they all seemed to go off, following the directions of their leader.

Clay looked over at Jolie who seemed to be lost in thought, her hands gripping her hair in frustrated manner. He smiled when he felt Gemma wrap her arms around his waist.

"Everything alright baby?'

"Yeah. I'm about to go meet Oswald now. I'm going to have Tig stay here with you. He's the only one I trust to keep you safe." He jerked his head over towards Jolie. "Try to keep her here." He kissed Gemma on the cheek before heading towards his bike.

Gemma walked over towards Jolie who had a bored expression on her face. "You alright?"

"Yeah I'm good."

"It's not every day a girl sees a bag of heads." Jolie shrugged her shoulders.

"Wasn't anyone I knew." Gemma crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed by the cool demeanor that the young woman seemed to have.

"Clay wants you to stay at the clubhouse." Jolie rolled her eyes. She should have been expecting that. She stood up and cracked her neck to relive some tension.

"I'm going to go in Juice's dorm room and take a nap." Gemma watched as Jolie walked inside the clubhouse and the older woman shook her head in disbelief.

* * *

By the time Jolie woke up, the sun was starting to set. Jolie looked around the room as she tried to adjust her eyes. Sitting up, Jolie grabbed her phone and noticed that she had a text from her boss saying that she didn't have to come in tonight considering the recent events. Jolie rolled her eyes. She couldn't afford not to work and was more than a little pissed that people seemed to be making decisions for her.

Jolie put her shoes on and walked out of the room. She noticed that all of the law enforcement seemed to finally be gone so Jolie hoped that meant she could go home as well. She stopped dead in her tracks when she realized that Happy had taken her car keys.

"Shit." Jolie muttered to herself. She walked outside and noticed that the office light was still on. Jolie headed towards the door and knocked twice causing Gemma to look up.

"Good nap?" Jolie nodded.

"Once I got over the smell in there, it was fine." Jolie put her hands in her back pockets and rocked on her heels. "Do you think you could give me a lift home? Happy has my fucking car keys." Gemma raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.

"Yeah sure. Just give me a minute." Jolie leaned against the doorframe as Gemma started to put folders away. She heard the motorcycles pull up and she saw Clay, Jax, Chibs, Tig, Happy and Bobby park in their assigned spots. A few minutes later, Juice and Opie pulled up with a large black Hummer following them on the compound.

"Ready?" Gemma asked and Jolie nodded. The two women started to walk towards Gemma's car and Jolie was more than ready to go home and lock the world out for a while. She heard the guys talking but she paid it no mind.

"Bella?' Jolie turned instantly at the nickname that she hadn't heard in years. Her eyes locked across the lot at Romero Parada, a man she hadn't seen in over three years. She could feel everyone staring between the two trying to figure out the connection. Jolie sighed as she realized that Romero was behind the chaos surrounding the club lately. Jolie was rooted to her spot as she felt a massive headache come along.

"Oh mother fuck me."


	11. Honesty is Honestly the Hardest Thing

**A/N: I said earlier in the story that this mainly A/U so for that reason, Romeo and Luis are a part of the Galindo Cartel and are not member of the C.I.A**

* * *

_It's the elephant in the room_

_And we pretend that we don't see it_

_It's the avalanche that looms above our heads_

_And we don't believe it_

_Trying to be perfect_

_Trying not to let you down_

_Honesty is honestly_

_The hardest thing for me right now_

Jolie didn't know what to do. She could feel all of the eyes darting between her and Romeo, questions and theories looming over their heads. She wanted to run, wanted to hide, but she knew that was not going to be a possibility. Despite the seriousness of the situation, once Romeo smiled at her, she couldn't stop herself from running across the compound and barreling into his arms. Everything about Romeo seemed familiar, his touch, his smell; it offered her a comfort that she hadn't felt in years.

"Oh Bella." Romeo said in that soothing voice and Jolie immediately broke. She felt the tears running down her face. "¿Qué haces aquí?" _What are you doing here? _Romeo made sure to whisper the question because he knew that all eyes and ears were on them.

"Mi hermano es uno de ellos" _My brother is one of them._ Romeo pulled back and pushed some of the hair away from Jolie's eyes to get a good look at her. To Romeo, Jolie was the daughter he never had, a tough as nails woman with a smile that could light up the sun. From the second she walked into his life, Romeo immediately was protective of her. One of his biggest regrets was that he couldn't be there for her when things got really bad in Miami.

"¿Saben lo que sucedió en Miami?" Jolie furiously shook her head. _Do they know what happened in Miami?_

"No y por favor no les digan." _No and please don't tell them_ Romeo nodded his head in agreement and placed a kiss on Jolie's forehead. When he finally released her she was able to see the man standing behind Romeo. Jolie let out a mega-watt smile.

"Luis." She ran and jumped into the man's arms and giggled as he spun her around. "I've missed you."

"I can see how that can happen when no one hears from you in over three years." Luis mocked glared before putting his arm around her shoulder and kissed her cheek. "You look good Bella."

"Okay what the FUCK is going on?" Clay asked, his anger over the situation almost boiling over. The three people he was talking to turned to face the firing squad.

"Jolie is an old family friend." Romeo offered as an explanation. He looked over at the kid with the Mohawk who seemed to have little regard for his own life not that long ago in a bomb filled desert. The kid shared the same eyes as his Bella so he knew that it was her brother. Jolie had said that she had a brother that lived out in California but it never occurred to Romeo to put two and two together until just now.

"An old family friend?" Jax asked in disbelief. "That's it?"

"That's all. So are you ready to discuss things? I would prefer a more private space." Romeo responded. Clay looked at the man, trying to feel him out but as per usual, Romeo's face gave away nothing.

"Everyone inside." Clay announced. When no one moved, Clay turned back around. "NOW!" He pointed a finger towards Jolie. "I suggest you stay here sweetheart, there are some questions you better have answers to."

Jolie smiled at both Romeo and Luis as they followed the members of SAMCRO inside the clubhouse. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail as she tried to piece together what all of this meant.

"So much for you just being Juice's little sister, huh?" Gemma asked and Jolie glared in the older woman's direction.

"So much for this being just a motorcycle club."

"I warned you that you better not be here to hurt anyone I love."

"And I'm not. I had no fucking clue your precious club was associated with Romeo or Luis."

"No one is going to believe this is a coincidence."

"I don't give a shit what people believe." Jolie ran a hand over her face. "I had a life in Texas, it wasn't much but it was mine. I was on the straight and narrow, trying to earn clean. Everything got fucking ripped from me cause I fell for a nice dick and a pair of green eyes. My reason for being here hasn't changed. I had to go up to San Jose in a few months and when shit went bad, I upped my appearance here by a few weeks. That's all." Jolie made sure to look Gemma in the eye as she spoke. "Every time I talked to my brother, all he could talk about was this fucking club and how much he loves it. Trust me when I tell you, I have no intentions of bringing any shit to his front door."

Gemma searched Jolie's eyes for the truth. "You are either a hell of a liar or you are actually telling the truth."

"Would it matter? It's not like you are going to believe me either way."

"So how does a girl like you have connections to a goddamn drug cartel?" Jolie offered Gemma a sad smile.

"The same way any girl gets involved in shit: I fell in love with the wrong man." Jolie walked past Gemma towards the clubhouse to wait for the interrogation to begin.

* * *

It seemed like a lifetime before the chapel doors opened. Jolie sat on the couch like she was a bad student waiting to be punished by the school principal. Romeo and Luis walked out and shook hands with both Clay and Jax before Romeo passed her a piece of paper and kissed her on the forehead. Once the two Latinos walked out the room, Clay pointed a finger in Jolie's direction.

"You inside now!" Jolie stood up and placed the piece of paper in her back pocket. She leaned against the wall and watched as all the men took their rightful seats. "Start talking."

"About?"

"JESUS CHRIST JOLISSA! THE FUCKING GALINDO CARTEL?" Juice screamed as he stood up from his chair.

"You want to swallow back the hypocrisy big brother?" Jolie asked as she pushed herself off the wall. "You don't get to judge what the fuck I was doing while you were in California finding yourself!"

"So what? You were dealing in Miami?"

"Are you dealing now?"

"You don't get to ask questions about our club." Clay interjected and Jolie rolled her eyes.

"I feel like I need to have this tattooed on my forehead. I don't give a SHIT about your club."

"So how do you know Romeo and Luis?" Juice asked.

"How do you?" Jolie retorted back. "They are friends I met in Miami, it's not nearly as big of a deal as you are making it seem."

"If that's the case, then why did Romeo say you would be an asset to our business arrangement?" Jax asked. Jolie sighed and rubbed her forehead. Looks like she was going to have to share a bit more truth then she wanted to.

"I'm going to ask you again, how do you know Romeo?" Clay snarled out. Jolie walked around the table and grabbed the menthols that were sitting in front of Happy. She lit up her first cigarette in over a year and let the smoke attack her lungs as she put her thoughts together.

"Romeo is Chris's uncle."

"Chris?"

"My ex. The one in Miami." Jolie looked over at Juice. "I never dealt, not once but I was an in-between."

"So you were a mule?" Jolie glared at Tig but kept talking to Juice.

"I met Romeo when I first got together with Chris and we just clicked. Romeo didn't trust his nephew, didn't believe that he could hold down the Miami territory the way he was supposed. Chris was ignorant, egotistical, and it was bad for business. He thought of himself like some goddamn second coming of Scarface. Chris wanted me to quit the strip club I was working at but I needed to make my own money. Romeo offered me the job to do some wheel work. It was simple enough: put the bag in the trunk, drive wherever the GPS took me and don't ask questions."

"So if the job was so simple, why did you leave Miami?" Jax asked.

"That's personal." Jolie growled. "Look, I had no idea you had any connections to Romeo or Luis and it honestly doesn't matter to me. I'm here to see my brother and I have every intention of keeping my head down and focusing on the life that took me three years to build. I have no connection to the Cartel or to your club and I would like to keep it that way."

Jolie looked over at Juice and could tell that he didn't fully believe her story and she would no doubt have more explaining to do when the siblings could be alone. The cartel was not something to joke with and she wondered if the club knew how deep they were in.

"You know you are not going to be able to just walk away from this." Jolie said making sure to lock eyes with Juice. "If you have been good at whatever deal you made with them, they will keep you around, whether you like or not." Jolie put her cigarette out and made her way back over to Happy. "My keys please." Happy looked over at Clay and once the older man nodded, Happy reached in his pocket and handed Jolie her car keys.

Once the chapel door shut, Clay turned and looked at Juice. "Do you believe her?" Juice sighed deeply as he put his head in his hands.

"I honestly don't know."

* * *

Later that night, Jolie was sitting at work and trying like hell to clear her mind. She heard the motorcycle approach but she didn't bother to look up. She figured it would be her brother demanding more answers that she wasn't ready to give. She was more than surprised to see Jax opening the door and walking towards her.

"What's up?"

"What did you mean earlier about not being able to walk away from this shit?"

"It needs an explanation?" Jax moved behind the counter and Jolie placed her feet down on the floor.

"Can you stop being a smart ass for five minutes?" Jax asked and Jolie took a deep breath.

"What is it that you want me to say Jax?"

"I want to know what you meant by that."

"I don't know what kind of deal that you made with them or what you think is going to happen but this is the Cartel. Whether you know a little or a lot, as long as you know anything about what they do or how they operate, you are a threat to their organization."

"Sons aren't rats." Jax said with conviction.

"Right because a billion dollar illegal organization is really going to take the word of a bunch of bikers. If you believe that, then you really are delusional."

"You got out. You worked for them and you got out."

"My circumstances were different but I'm far from stupid. If Romeo feels though I could be an asset to him, I will be pulled back in. They will always own you, whether you like or not." Jax leaned back against the counter and sighed. "I can assume none of you thought about that before making your deal."

"Everything this club does, every choice that is made, we have to vote on it and majority rules. We voted this shit in but it was only supposed to be temporary. It's already tearing us apart."

"Having some regrets?"

"Nothing I can do about now. We voted it in." Jolie jumped off the counter and went to grab a bottle of water.

"Why are you telling me all of this? Doesn't it go against some code of yours?"

"You seem to be really good at keeping secrets." Jolie glared at Jax's mocking tone. "Juice voted no. I'm thinking this shit has been weighing real hard on him and that could be part of what is going on with him. Did he know what you were you up to?"

"No. I know he was keeping tabs on me but even the best hacker wouldn't be able to find out what I was up. He probably knew I was dating Chris but I'm sure that's all."

"Is he alright?" Jolie tilted her head back and closed her eyes before answering.

"He will be, I'll do my best to make sure of that. I'm trying Jax. I'm trying to save my brother no matter what the cost but this shit isn't easy. I had no clue what I was walking into and it seems like every day it's something new that I find out."

"Yeah well it seems like keeping the bad shit from each other is a family trait."

"JC always worries about me. It's been like that since we were kids and yeah, I guess in a lot of ways, I've given him reason to be concerned but I have always taken care of myself and no matter what fucked up situation I find myself in, I always find a way to land on my feet. JC…he got the heart in the family. He's kind and caring and extremely loyal. For whatever reason, he loves you guys, loves your club. I hope that love doesn't get him killed."

"I can't promise you anything."

"I wouldn't' expect you to."

"Clay doesn't trust you."

"Clay isn't my concern." Jax sighed.

"Look, I know you have this whole bad ass thing down and it's cute, really it is, but as long as you are in Charming, you are going to have to play by SAMCRO's rules. You have got to stop ruffling feathers and pissing people off." Jax's phone rang and he answered it, spoke three words and hung up. "Try to remember what I said."

* * *

By the time Jolie made it back to the condo, she was beyond exhausted. She saw the bike in the lot and she knew it was about to get worse before it got better. Jolie opened her front door and glanced at Juice sleeping on her couch. Jolie shut the door with force and Juice jumped up before glaring at Jolie.

"How was work?"

"I'm too tired for small talk Juan, so can you just get the yelling over with so I can get some rest." Jolie walked in the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. She looked over and saw a folder sitting on the island in the middle of the kitchen. She looked over at Juice who was now leaning against the doorframe, looking as though he aged years.

"What is this?"

"The day that you got arrested for your little car window stunt, Roosevelt showed me this file." Jolie reached over and grabbed the file. She opened it and glanced at the contents before closing it. She placed the file back down on the island and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"You're not going to say anything?"

"There is nothing to say." Juice sighed as he ran a hand over his Mohawk.

"You should have told me about this Jolissa." Jolie grabbed the half and half from the fridge and turned towards Juice.

"I don't ask you about your club business, I expect the same courtesy when it comes to the shit I've done."

"You were involved with some really deep shit Jolie."

"Yeah but nothing ever got so bad that I thought about offing myself. So whose life is in more shit Juan?"

"Roosevelt has this file. Aren't you concerned about that?"

"If I was going to go to jail, I would have been there years ago. Barney Fife doesn't scare me. Did you tell the club about this file?"

"No. I don't see how this could do them any good. Some of the guys are pissed, they think that maybe you are some kind of mole." Jolie snorted at the accusation.

"Do you believe that?"

"No but that's because you are my sister and I know you. They don't. There was some talk last night. Clay is going to want you to prove your loyalties."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I don't know but I'm scared for you Jolissa. Being on Clay's shit list is never a good thing." Jolie sighed deeply as she studied Juice's face.

"I am so sorry Juan. I never wanted to bring any of my shit to you, especially with everything you have going on. If my presence is going to make things worse, I can pack my shit and be out of town tonight. All you gotta do is say the word and I'm gone."


	12. Beautiful Dangerous

_I hear the thunder thumping_

_And my heart starts jumping_

_And that's when I spin on the pole_

_Now my head's exploding_

_And your gun is loaded_

_So I'm guessing I'm on a roll_

_Well it's a fine time_

_Looking for a wine time man_

_And you said, "Baby, you ready to play?_

_Well, come ride on this roller coaster_

_'Cause it ain't over, it ain't over"_

Jolie all but collapsed on the bench from pure exhaustion. She opened up a bottle of water and poured the entire contents over her face. It had been an intense workout, partly because Ron was trying to prepare for the competition and partly because Jolie was trying to distract herself from what was going on.

Juice had all but begged her to stay in Charming, proclaiming he missed her and that he needed her here. Jolie couldn't help but wonder if a part of the reason was also the fact that if Jolie left town now, it would make her look suspicious and bring heat on him. In any event she agreed to stay and didn't even bother with a nap, instead heading straight up to Oakland.

"You did good in there." Ron said as he took a seat next to her and handed her a piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"The list of competitors that will be there. Figure you could go over it, maybe pull up some matches, that way you have a better understanding of what you are up against." Jolie grabbed the paper and quickly scanned over the names.

"Shit, Charlene is going to be there?"

"You're familiar with her?"

"We've had a few matches. She's a nice girl and all, but damn that bitch works stiff." Charlene was known for her tough as nails, take no bullshit style of wrestling and no matter how hard Jolie tried to avoid it, she always walked away from their matches in an immense amount of pain.

"Hit the showers and head home. You earned to have a couple of days off, I'll see you Monday same time." Jolie waved her goodbyes and looked back at the paper. She recognized a few names, some of them were former girls who had made it to the pros but got released for one reason or another, others were like Jolie, working the indie circuit and happy to do so.

"That was pretty impressive." Jolie jerked her head and looked at the brown skinned man in front of her. He was well dressed and she could tell he took pride in his appearance. Everything from his pressed shirt to his leather shoes told her that he was not a man who didn't take care of himself.

"Thanks." Jolie stood up and wiped her face off with a towel.

"I was here when you went through that table. Takes balls to do something like that."

"Either that or a lack of brains." Jolie retorted and they both smiled. "I'm Jolie." She said as she held out her hand for the man to shake.

"Leroy. Nice to meet you."

"So what brings you to a sweaty gym?"

"Ron's an old family friend plus I own part of the gym." Jolie nodded.

"Well it was nice meeting you."

"You too. Maybe I'll see you around sometime."

"Yeah, maybe." Jolie smiled and headed back towards the showers. If she had been paying attention, she would have noticed the figure that was watching her every move. The man quickly pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial.

"Hey Jax? We may have a problem on our hands."

* * *

Jax hung up the phone and groaned loudly to himself. He glanced around the auto shop until his eyes landed on Happy.

"Yo Hap." Happy looked up from underneath the hood of the car and walked over to Jax.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"Just got off the phone with Phil. He said Leroy was cozying himself up to Jolie." Ever since Jax found out that Jolie was connected to Romeo, he made it a point to make sure that someone was tailing her at all times.

"What are you thinking?"

"Shit has been good with the Niners lately but Leroy getting involved with Juice's little sister could be bad all the way around."

"Was he trying to get with her?"

"Phil said he was too far to hear the conversation but both of them were smiling and shit. I like this girl, even if she can be a pain in the ass but with Clay already not trusting her, this is the last thing we need."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"You're her neighbor. Try to get closer to her, feel her out, see what the hell is going on in that head of hers." Happy looked incredusloly at Jax.

"Don't you think someone else may be better suited for this type of shit? Chibs, Opie, anyone else." Jax smiled at the bald man. His retort was stopped by the ringing of his cell phone. Jax looked down at the Caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hey Jax."

"Hey Jolie. What's up?"

"The next time you want to put a tail on me, try putting someone who actually blends into the crowd." Jax sighed as he realized he had been caught but before he could say anything, Jolie had already hung up the phone. Jax stared at the small device in his hand before glancing up at Happy.

"Trust me; I think you are the only man for the job."

* * *

Jolie was pissed by the time she got home. She didn't know what was worse: the fact that Jax put a tail on her or the fact that he assumed she was so fucking stupid that wouldn't notice Flithy fucking Phil following everywhere she went.

This town was slowly draining the little bit of sanity that she had left. She loved her brother to death, but she was starting to wonder if he would be enough to keep her here. She knew she could handle a lot, she had proven it before but shit, she had never been in a situation like this and she was out of her element. She had to conform to some game that she didn't even know the rules to. If she lashed out or started fighting, it could make things worse for Juice. If she sat back, smiled and crossed her legs like a good lady, she mine as well be slitting her own goddamn wrist.

The last time she changed for someone else, it almost got her killed and she vowed that would never happen again. She had survived too much to let a little town like Charming be the thing to break her. For now, she would go to work, train, and be there for her brother. Everything else was none of her fucking business and she wanted to keep things that way.

Jolie leaned over the tub and tested the hot water before adding some bath salts and relaxing bubble bath. She took her long hair out of the ponytail and shed her tank tap leaving her standing there in nothing more than a pair of cut sweat pants. She turned the water off and made her way to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of white wine. If there was ever a time that she needed to relax, it would be right now.

Jolie poured a generous amount of wine just as there was a heavy knocking on her front door. Not even caring to change or bothering to look through the peephole, Jolie pulled the door open and came face to face with Happy.

"Need to borrow a cup of sugar?" Jolie remarked as she raised an eyebrow. She couldn't help but notice that Happy's eyes seemed to travel down her body.

"What are you doing?"

"Wasting precious moments of my life by talking to you?" Happy brushed past her and walked into her home. "Sure come on in." Jolie rolled her eyes as she shut her door.

"You're pissing a lot of people off."

"It seems to be one of the few things I do well." Jolie took a sip from her glass and sighed. "You came to recite the SAMCRO rules to me? Because I would really like to get this sweat off of me before I have to take notes."

"That attitude of yours could be dangerous for you."

"Is that a threat?"

"A warning." Happy put his hands in his sweatshirt pocket. He did not want to be here. He was not the kind of man that played minds game or tried to seduce some bitch. He was straight forward and honest, and he couldn't imagine changing that part of him anytime soon.

"I really don't know what any of you want me to say here."

"You show up out of the goddamn blue, no one has even heard of you before and come to find out, you have connections to the fucking cartel. The same cartel that we are currently working with. Then you give us some bullshit story about your time in Miami."

"It wasn't bullshit."

"It wasn't all true either." Happy said, calling Jolie's bluff. "There has got to be a hell of a lot more to your story. Nobody goes from being a drug mule to a waitress living in a goddamn double wide hundreds of miles away without their being a damn good reason."

"I had no idea that Romeo or Luis were involved with your club in any way."

"That is the only thing about your story that I fully believe. I don't think that you are a threat to my club or to any of my brothers. But I do think you being here is bigger than you missing Juice and this fucking wrestling shit." Jolie was trying like hell not to show Happy how unnerved she was by his ability to see through her.

"Since you seem to know me so well, then why don't you tell me why I'm here?" Happy shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe you're running from something. Maybe you pissed off the wrong guy in Texas. Judging by your attitude problem that could be a big possibility." Jolie wanted to laugh at how wrong Happy was. Guess he couldn't see through her after all.

"I still don't know what you want me to say here." Happy clenched his fist as the thought of strangling her ran through his mind. Happy's phone vibrated and when he went to answer it, he watched as Jolie went to the front door and opened it. He spoke to Clay and hung up. "Let me guess, this conversation is over."

Happy walked over to the door and turned back towards the smaller woman. "This isn't over." Jolie slammed the door once he walked out and leaned against the wood.

"I need a fucking drink."

* * *

Later on that night, the boys were trying to wind down after another tense filled church. Happy sighed as he made his way to the bar and motioned for a shot. Tig clapped his hand on the man's shoulder as he stood next to him.

"Shit is getting worse man." Happy nodded his agreement as the pair took their shot. "You think that chick was right? About us not being able to walk away from this shit like we had planned?"

"I don't know bro. She seems to get off talking in fucking riddles." Tig chuckled as Clay stormed out of the chapel and headed out the clubhouse without speaking to anyone. Happy noticed Tig look after Clay with a certain uncertainty in his eyes.

"Everything alright man?"

"Yeah…I just can't seem to read him anymore. It's like he is going out of his way to box everyone out." Happy knew that Tig took his duties as Clay's right hand seriously, just like any good Sargent would do. Some of the guys had been talking about this distance between the two since this whole drug shit took off. Happy had to assume if the idea had come from anyone other than Clay, Tig wouldn't be on board with this shit.

"This shit is ripping us apart. Bobby's pushing Clay more than usual, Piney's more pissed off than normal. I'm ready for this shit to be over with." Happy confided.

"Yeah. None of this shit is going to matter if it rips apart the club." Tig cleared his throat as Opie came up to the guys and grabbed a beer.

"Everything alright man?" Tig asked Opie when he caught him looking around the room.

"Anyone seen Juice?"

"I think he went for a ride after church. Why?" Tig wondered.

"I just got off the phone with Lyla. Apparently Jolie is at the Hairy Dog getting shit faced all by herself."

"Why the hell is she alone?" Tig questioned.

"Lyla had to work tonight and Jolie said something about needing a release, whatever the fuck that means. When Lyla texted her to check in, Jolie said she was at the Hairy Dog." That was not the kind of bar that Jolie should be in and the guys knew it. Tig swallowed back the rest of his beer and slapped the bar twice.

"Let's go get her before something happens." Tig, Happy and Opie all walked out towards their bikes.

* * *

Jolie lost count of how many shots she had taken since walking into the seedy bar. After Happy left, Jolie tried to relax but it was no use. She needed to clear her head and alcohol always had that amazing effect. After talking to Lyla, Jolie went in search of a bar on her own. She knew that she could have just gone to the clubhouse but members of SAMCRO were the last people she wanted to see right about now.

She noticed the seedy looking bar and quickly walked in. It was dark and smelled horrific but it had a jukebox and a bar, so Jolie propped on a stool and placed an order. That was hours ago and Jolie was actually enjoying herself. She had taken control over the jukebox some time ago after hearing "Free Bird" for the sixth fucking time. The more time she spent in there, the more crowded it got.

Jolie pushed her sweaty hair up with one hand as she scanned the jukebox with another. She smiled when the sound of Slash tearing up the guitar vibrated throughout the bar. She smiled at the brown haired man whose name she couldn't remember but had somehow became her dance partner over the past few songs. She let the man grab her hips as she turned her back on him and swayed seductively to the music.

She let all of her inhibitions go as she felt her walls breaking down. A night like this was just what she needed. For one night, she wasn't Juice's sister or Chris's ex. She was just a girl in a bar looking for a good time. She felt the man's hands leave her body and she turned around only to see Opie have the man pressed up against the wall and Tig and Happy glaring at her.

"What the fuck?" Jolie exclaimed. No one answered her as Happy grabbed her by the arm and dragged her outside of the bar. "Get the hell off of me."

"What the fuck are you doing?"

"None of your business."

"You're whoring yourself out to that fucking crank dealer. You have no business in this fucking bar." Jolie rolled her eyes as she tried to gain her balance once Happy released her.

"Oh for fuck's sake. All I want to do is get drunk and get laid so back the fuck off." Happy's eyes darkened as he stepped closer to her.

"That's what you want? To be treated like a crow eater who does nothing but suck dick? That's who you want to be?"

"God I don't feel like hearing this shit." Jolie placed her hands on her hip as she glared at Happy. "You got two choices: either stop cock blocking or step up to the plate. What's it going to be?"


	13. The Only Time

**A/N: This chapter contains sexual content. However that does not mean that sex will automatically equal relationship. Neither one of these characters are ready for that this early on in the story but a certain dynamic will shift. I have a lot of plans and ideas for this story so it will be slower paced that my others. I hope that you all ride this out with me. I look forward to the reviews, they really do make me smile.**

* * *

_I'm drunk._

_And right now I'm so in love with you._

_And I don't want to think too much about what we should or shouldn't do._

_Lay my hands on Heaven and the sun and the moon and the stars._

_While the devil wants to fuck me in the back of his car._

_Nothing quite like the feel of something new._

_Maybe I'm all messed up._

_Maybe I'm all messed up._

_Maybe I'm all messed up in you._

_This is the only time I really feel alive._

_I swear._

_I just found everything I need._

_The sweat in your eyes the blood in your veins are listening to me._

_Well I want to wrap it up and swim in it until I drown._

_My moral standing is lying down._

Happy had practically been dragging Jolie around since they left the bar. When she gave him the ultimatum, she half expected him to let her go back in the bar or at the very least call her brother and tell on her like she was some child that needed a babysitter. She was shocked when Happy walked over to Tig and Opie and told them that he would be taking Jolie home. He trained his dark eyes on hers as he growled at her.

"Get on the fucking bike." Jolie didn't know why the deepness in his growl sent heat throughout her body. She would blame it on the whiskey but the truth was she was fucking attracted to this man and the alcohol combined with the stress allowed to finally act on it. She didn't want to think too much about what was getting ready to happen, she was just going to enjoy the moment.

Happy kept her wrist in his hand as he opened his door and practically threw her inside. She watched as he locked the door and placed his gun and knife on the stand next to the door. She watched his swift movement with fascination. He turned sharply to look at her. She felt slightly flushed as his eyes roamed up and down her body. She was fully clothed but yet she felt as though she was standing naked in front of him as he observed silently.

"You don't want to do this." Happy responded, walking away from her. He wasn't a noble man, not by any means but she wasn't a crow eater. This was more than just her being the sister of a fellow club member, a man he visioned as a brother on so many levels. Jolie was not a whore or a porn slut, she was a woman and drunk or not, Happy knew there was a difference.

She watched his back as he walked away from her and turned the corner. For some reason his dismissal of her pissed her off. What was he trying to say? She wasn't good enough for him? He wasn't good enough for her? She was far too drunk to try to decipher what it could possibly mean. She was serious at the bar about him stepping up to the plate and he was damn well going to.

She stood in the living room as she weighed her options. She kicked her wedges off and fumbled with the button of her jeans. She let the denim fall to the floor as she pulled her top from her body leaving her standing in nothing more than a lace bra and matching thong.

She followed him and noticed that he was standing in what should have been a spare bedroom. Instead it was a room that held a pool table and a small bar. She watched as he poured himself a shot and took it back with so much force that she actually winced. She saw his muscles tense underneath his shirt and she knew that he felt her there, standing in the doorframe.

"Don't tell me what I want." She said with conviction. The quiet made her uneasy and after a few moments of tense silence, Jolie was prepared to turn around and storm out.

"Come here." His voice was quiet, but it was hard. She approached slowly, her eyes fixed on the ground, unable to meet his gaze. "Look at me." She bit her lip, breathing hard, and he took a step closer. "Look at me." His tone was hard and commanding, and she looked up, her eyes meeting his. Relief flooded her when his hand wrapped around her neck and he yanked her forward, claiming her mouth demandingly.

Her hands fisted in his shirt as she lost her footing, stumbling and struggling to stay upright as he plundered her mouth. His kiss bordered on violent, but she felt her body warm. She trusted him implicitly although she had no fucking clue why. Even as he turned and walked her backward, nearly slamming her against the wall. He pulled away and she watched him, her eyes wide with fascination. "Don't move." She nodded, breathing hard as he walked away.

She could hear the shut and lock of the door, and she bit her lip nervously. But she stayed true to her word, waiting until he came back into view to meet his gaze. He kissed her again, his tongue and teeth bordering on punishing as he moved down her throat and sucked greedily at her pulse point. His whisper came harsh in her ear, and she closed her eyes. "What do you want?" He pulled back, and he looked down at her, his eyes arrogant and predatory.

"You." It was just a whisper, barely audible, but she saw the possessiveness flare in his eyes. He stood there, just watching her, and she knew she'd have to try harder. "Happy, I want you." She cried out as he pressed against her, hiking her up the wall until her legs wound around his waist and her fingers made their way to the back of his neck.

She felt his hand sweep down her back and under her, tearing the lacy thong that covered her. Her body trembled when he sank two fingers into her, pumping them in and out. She dropped her head to his shoulder, unable to hold it up any longer, and she whimpered when he left her, setting her on the ground and walking away again. It was all part of the game. She knew it. It kept her on her toes, kept her guessing, and she felt the wetness pool between her legs as she waited for him.

Her eyes widened at the rope in his hands and she watched in trepidation. "Happy…" He looked down at her reprovingly, and her mouth went dry, unable to produce any words. He turned her around, and she felt her hands being brought together behind her, the rope tying around them just tight enough that she couldn't slip out of it easily, but not so tight that she felt any pain or panic.

She couldn't control the way her pulse raced as she stared at the wall, barely able to process anything but the feeling of his hands running down her body, all the way to her feet, and then back up. She held her breath in anticipation, and her eyes widened when she heard his raspy voice, commanding and authoritative. "Don't scream."

She bit her lip hard when she felt his fingers again, filling her without warning, and she struggled to relax, to accommodate them. She bit her lip hard, stopping the cry in her throat, and she heard him behind her, his voice surprisingly gentle. "Breathe, Jolie."

She took a shaky breath, and she felt herself start to relax, gulping hard as his fingers moved inside of her. "Good girl." She nodded, mindless with arousal and desire as his fingers left her, and she felt him pull her back, walking her over to the pool table. His hand slid between her legs again, working her clit until she was panting, her body consumed with him entirely.

His fingers increased their pace and she felt his voice against her ear, hard and commanding again. "Come." She obeyed with a cry, her entire body convulsing, held up only by his arm around her waist. He stroked her softly as she came down, and she heard him again, a little softer. "Enough?" She shook her head, turning to look at him, to meet his gaze.

"I'm okay." She felt the bulge against her buttocks, and he kissed her, his arm still tight around her waist, his kiss silently thanking her. She felt him step back just a bit, and she heard the sound of his zipper, the slight rustle that told her he was ready for her. He turned her around, lifting her easily until she was wrapped around him and filling her to the hilt.

She gasped, her head falling back as she reached behind her, gripping the edge of the table to anchor her. She knew it thrust her chest forward, and she felt a wave of pleasure overcome her as he dropped his head, kissing any skin he could find. He was moving in and out of her at a furious pace, his arms tight around her, guiding her forcefully.

They came together, gasping and panting for breath, and he pulled her up, holding her body tight against him. She felt the rope slip from her wrists, and her arms flew around him, needing the comfort of his body.

It was the most exhilarating sex that she had ever had and despite the roughness of it, Jolie never once felt unsafe. She listened as they both struggle to get their breathing in control. Once she felt as though she could stand without shaking, Jolie was getting ready to untangle herself from Happy's body and make her way across the hall.

"Don't move." Happy exclaimed when he felt her arms leave his body. He picked her up and unlocked the door before moving towards his bedroom. He pulled the covers back and placed her in the bed. He stared down at her, her long hair wild and free over the pillow, her eyes hooded over with lust, her full lips parted slightly. She was incredible to look at. She smiled softly at him as she took in his naked form, his confidence in walking around completely exposed, the ink on his body looking like beautiful scars in the dimly lit room.

His bare backside was the last thing that Jolie saw before her eyes closed with a mixture of exhaustion and bliss.

* * *

The following morning, Jolie lay on her side with her eyes closed. Despite the ridiculous amount of alcohol she consumed the night before, Jolie remembered EXACTLY what transpired. She could feel every kiss, every touch, every thrust as if it was happening right now.

The soft snores told Jolie that Happy was still there. Jolie didn't know why that surprised her. She thought that maybe he would have been gone by now, more than willing to ignore everything that happened the night before. This was one of those moments where Jolie didn't know how to proceed. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times to adjust to the brightness of the room in the daylight.

She waited a few moments before she finally threw caution to the wind and slowly pushed the comforter off of her body. She looked down at her naked form and glanced around the room for her clothes.

"They're in the living room where you left them." Jolie jumped at Happy's tone as she turned to look at him and he still had his eyes closed.

"What the hell?"

"You're not really good at sneaking out." Happy said as he opened his eyes to look at her. For some reason, the idea of Happy seeing Jolie naked in the daylight made her nervous. She ran a hand through her hair and wince as she felt the tangles that had formed overnight. She didn't even want to think about what she must look like.

"Right. So…I'm just going to go." Jolie said and she glared when she saw laughter dancing in Happy's onyx eyes, making it clear that he was enjoying every minute of her discomfort and he had no intention of turning around while she ran out of the room. Sighing deeply, Jolie stood up and tried not to run full force towards the living room.

When she saw her clothes on the couch, she couldn't help herself. "Are you fucking kidding me? You folded my dirty clothes?"

"They were thrown on the floor." Happy said as he walked out in the living room wearing a pair of basketball shorts. Jolie didn't even bother with the bra as she hurried up to put on her clothes.

"A neat freak biker. What an oxymoron." Jolie muttered to herself. She grabbed her keys and avoided Happy's gaze as she started to unlock the door. When she opened the door, her forehead almost came in contact with Jax's knuckles as he was getting ready to knock on the door. Jolie groaned as Jax and Chibs turned and grinned at each other.

"Well this would explain why you haven't been answering your phone."


	14. Girl I Am

_Sometimes I cry for no good reason_

_Sometimes I fight when I ain't mad_

_Sometimes it hurts and I ain't bleeding_

_Sometimes I laugh when things go bad_

_But I'll always be the girl I am_

_And when Life comes falling down on me I do the best I can_

_And I never make apologies cause I don't give a damn_

_I'll guess I'll always be the girl I am_

Jolie stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her body. After her awkward encounter with Jax and Chibs that resulted in the two of them laughing like little girls and her giving them both the finger, she was finally able to retreat to her home. She went in her bedroom and grabbed the bottle of lotion. She glanced down at her wrists that still had slight rope burn on them. What the fuck was she doing? She needed to get laid, she needed a release but did it really have to be with a man who shared the same lifestyle as her fucking brother?

Jolie panicked for a second, wondering if Chibs and Jax were going to say something to JC but Jolie quickly shook her head. She didn't think they were that big of girls, were they? Jolie lathered the coconut lotion into her skin as her mind keep wandering to last night. Every spot she touched, she was reminded that Happy had touched there only a few hours ago.

Jolie put on a bra and a pair of lace boy shorts before walking barefoot towards the living room. She glanced down at her IHome and flipped through it until she found a playlist that she wanted. She popped her head to the beat as she went in the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and her vitamins. She swallowed the two pills down and continued to dance her way back to the bedroom. A particular verse started and Jolie immediately began to dance in the living room.

It was a silly pop song from the 80s but it never failed to lift Jolie's spirits. She felt her hair smack her in the face as she busted out some silly dance moves. She screamed when she turned around to see Opie and Lyla standing there with smiles on their faces. Jolie turned the music down and glared.

"Don't you people knock?"

"Uh we did…Kind of hard to hear us when you are in the middle of doing the Roger Rabbit." Opie quipped with a smile on his face. Jolie glared as she realized that she was standing there in just her underwear.

"Don't worry about it Jolie. Op hangs out with chicks that wear less than you on a daily basis." Lyla waved her hand like it wasn't a big deal. Jolie still felt a bit weird standing there in front of the married couple the way she was. Of course because her luck sucked ass, before she could run to the bedroom to throw on some clothes, Happy appeared in her doorframe. His eyes traveled up and down her body as he clapped a hand on Opie's shoulder.

"Ready man?"

"Yeah. Hey Jolie, do you think you could give Lyla a ride back to the clubhouse later on so she can pick up her cage."

"Yeah sure, no problem." Jolie waved at the two men before they walked out of her door. Jolie went into the bedroom, Lyla trailing behind her.

"What's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You look different." Lyla observed causing Jolie to roll her eyes.

"Lyla, you've known me for like a month. How could I possibly look different to you?" Lyla continued to stare at Jolie as she pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a light grey long sleeved shirt. She was getting ready to grab her hair brush when Lyla gasped.

"You had sex!" Lyla announced causing Jolie's eyes to bulge out her head.

"What? No. Is it a porn star thing to think that everything has to do with sex?" Lyla crossed her arms over her chest and smiled.

"Mighty defensive aren't we? It's not a big deal that you finally got laid." Lyla sat down on the bed. "So who was it?" Jolie avoided Lyla's stare as she brushed her hair furiously. "OH. MY. GOD. IT WAS HAPPY WASN'T IT?" Jolie didn't answer just glanced Lyla's way.

"Was it good?" Silence. "Damn it was that good."

"I didn't even say anything."

"You didn't have to." Lyla smiled. "Op said Happy made sure you got home safely last night but I wasn't aware that the turn down service was now dick down service." Jolie threw the brush at Lyla who laughed.

"Are you done yet?"

"Oh come on. It's not that bad. You said you had a thing for him, you acted on it. Both of you are grown; no harm, no foul."

"Yeah except for Chibs and Jax seeing my walk of shame across the fucking hallway."

"Seriously?" Lyla started to laugh again. Jolie tried like hell to keep a straight look on her face but when the tears started to spill from Lyla's eyes, she couldn't help but to laugh right along with her.

* * *

It was hours before Lyla and Jolie pulled up to TM. They had spent the day getting manis and pedis before grabbing a late lunch. Jolie had to admit: she really liked Lyla and it was nice to have a female around that didn't need everything to be so serious all the damn time.

Jolie walked out the car and noticed that all the bikes seemed to be lined up in a row. "They are probably in church." Lyla muttered with a bit of sadness. "I'm going to head home."

"I'm going to wait for JC. Haven't seen the kid all day." Lyla hugged Jolie goodbye and Jolie watched Lyla pull away before she walked into the clubhouse.

"Hi Jolie." Jolie took a seat at the bar.

"Hey Chucky. Can I get a bottle of water?" Chucky nodded his head as the church doors opened up and Clay locked eyes with Jolie.

"We need to talk to you now." Clay jerked his thumb towards the inside of the chapel and Jolie turned to Chucky.

"Can you make it a double of whiskey instead?" Chucky quickly poured her a drink and she grabbed it and stood up. When she walked in the room, she looked over at Juice who seemed worried and was biting his fingernails.

"Have a seat." Clay requested as Opie stood up to let her sit down. Jolie looked around the room at everyone and felt her stomach turn.

"What's up?"

"We have a run in Phoenix. It will be a two to three day trip. You will be joining us." Jolie looked down at the brown liquid in her hand and took the entire thing back before clearing her throat.

"Why would I be doing that?"

"Our charter down there has had a bit of…misfortune. They are not in position right now to help us. Romeo has brought it to our attention that you would be a logical choice to take the trip with us, given your history with him and the fact that you are fluent in Spanish." Jolie gritted her teeth.

"I'm not a member of your club." Clay grinned at her as he lit up a cigar.

"Sometimes the women in our lives have to step up to the plate and help out. Now you taking this trip with us would help out SAMCRO." Jolie thought back to the conversation that she had with JC where he said that Clay was going to want her to prove her loyalties. Guess this was how she was supposed to do it.

Juice gave her a pleading look, silently begging with his eyes for her to do this. Jolie sighed as she played with the ring on her finger. She knew it was only a matter of time before something like this was going to happen.

"You're not going to be in any danger." Clay stated and Jolie rolled her eyes.

"I need to talk to Romeo, clear this with him." Clay and Jacks shared a look.

"That's only fair."

"This can't be a full time thing. I'm not a part of the cartel or a part of this club. I will pack my shit and leave town before I allow myself to get sucked back into this life again." Jolie made sure she was looking at Juice when she said this.

"We will let you call Romeo but we are leaving at 10am tomorrow morning." Jolie knew this was Clay dismissing her so she stood up and grabbed her cell phone from her back pocket.

"I have a question." Jolie turned to look at Tag. "How did you learn Spanish when the idiot doesn't?" Jolie glared at the name Tag gave her brother.

"Our ma sent me to live in Puerto Rico for a year when I was a teenager. She thought it would teach me to be a lady." Jolie smiled sadly at the irony and walked out of the room.

* * *

6am sharp Jolie's eyes popped open and she glanced around the darkened room before sighing and getting out of bed. She had spoken to Romeo last night and verified Clay's story. Romeo and Luis stopped by the house and the trio had a long discussion about what it mean if Jolie did this favor for them.

Jolie wasn't happy about doing this but deep down she knew that she didn't have a choice. She was kidding when she said once you work for the cartel, they will always own you. Getting sucked back into this life was not what Jolie wanted, she fought hard to leave her past behind her and be her own woman.

Romeo confessed that one of the heads in the duffel bag was the President of the Phoenix charter who was supposed to be the middle man between SAMCRO and Mexico. His death was why they needed Jolie. Not only did she speak Spanish but she had dealt with Alejandro before and he respected her.

Jolie jumped out the shower and went in the corner to grab the bag that Romeo gave her. In it was everything she needed to be safe. It was also everything that represented her past. She pulled every item out slowly, reintroducing herself to the various items. Jolie leaned down on the bed with both hands and sighed.

"You are doing this for your brother. You are doing this for your brother." Jolie repeated the phrase over and over until she felt a sense of calm wash over her. She looked at herself in the mirror and it was like watching a stranger standing in front of her.

By 9am, Jolie was pulling her Charger into the lot of TM. She grabbed her jacket, purse and cup of coffee before getting out of the car. She saw Tig staring at her with an amused expression.

"Good morning hellcat." Jolie nodded her head but didn't say anything as she took a sip of her coffee. "You look very sexy bad ass today." Jolie looked down at her outfit. She was dressed in black V-neck shirt that was baggy enough to hide the weapons underneath, a pair of black stretch jeans and black flat boots with silver buckles on the side. Her long hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail, her lips were nude and her dark sunglasses were hiding her smoky eyes.

"You should relax. We are still waiting on some of the other boys to get here." Tig said as he patted her shoulder and walked away. Jolie noticed that Gemma was leaning against the door of the office staring at her so she walked over to the older woman.

"Morning."

"Morning Jolie." Gemma crossed her arms as she studied the woman. Clay told her that Jolie was going to be going on the ride with them. Jax told her that it barely passed a vote. Apparently, some of the guys have taken a liking to Jolie and didn't feel comfortable with the idea of her getting in the middle of this shit. "You alright?" Jolie shrugged her shoulder as she threw her empty coffee mug in the nearby trash can.

"You got a minute Gemma?" Jolie asked and Gemma ushered the woman in the office and shut the door.

"What's up?"

"Why is he making me do this?" Jolie asked as she took off her sunglasses to look Gemma in the eye. "I'm pretty sure someone in some charter somewhere speaks Spanish. Clay doesn't need me to do this." Gemma sighed as she took a seat behind the desk.

"You showing up here and having connections to the cartel has made some people suspicious. They don't know what to make of you. You don't sleep around but you're no one's old lady either. We don't normally get any girls around here that are stuck in the middle and we certainly don't get any girl around here that are like you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You do this wrestling shit which must mean that you've got some screws loose. You looked inside a bag of fucking heads and didn't blink twice. You love your brother, we all get that, but that's all people know about you. Your timing has just got some people on edge." Jolie sat down in the opposite chair and leaned forward.

"I'm not here to start or get into any trouble." Gemma snorted.

"You would be the first. Bobby's kids never come to see him, Tig's girls only show up when they need money, you see where I'm going with this. This club is a family; we look after and love each other. For most of us, this club is the only real family we have. It's rare for a blood line to show up in town without a motive."

"I'm stuck between shit and mud, Gemma. If I do the job right I run the risk of Clay or Romeo forcing me to do it again. If I do the job wrong, this shit could blow back in my face." Jolie didn't know why she felt the urge to confide in Gemma. Maybe it was because Jolie knew that Gemma might be the only person that would remotely understand.

"You do what you need to do in order to protect your family. Juice is your family. The club is Juice's family. You help the club, you are helping Juice." Jolie nodded her head as the door opened and Tig popped in.

"Clay's looking for you." Jolie stood up and glanced over at the desk.

"Thanks Gemma."

Walking in the clubhouse, Jolie noticed the men were standing around just shooting the shit. Clay looked over the rim of his coffee cup when Jolie walked over.

"Morning."

"You are going to need some hardware."

"I'm covered." Clay looked the woman up and down.

"How?" Jolie sighed as she put her purse down and lifted up her shirt to show the waist holster attached to her. She leaned down and grabbed the two knives from her boots and placed them on the bar.

"I also have two guns in my purse and razor blades in my hair." Clay looked slightly impressed as he nodded and Jolie put the knives back before standing up straight.

"What do you know about this Alejandro guy?" Clay asked as the rest of the men crowded around Jolie.

"He doesn't like disrespect. He's been in the game a lot of years and he's good at what he does. This won't be a simple drop off. He will need to feel you out before he hands over the supply." Jolie sighed deeply at the way she sounded. Her own voice was foreign to her.

"We're leaving in about twenty minutes. Jax, Juice, Opie, Bobby, Happy and myself are riding. You will be in the cage with Phil and Tig." Clay put his mug down and walked away. Jolie leaned against the bar and closed her eyes.

"I need a new fucking life."


	15. Dirty Little Secret

**A/N: This is more of a filler chapter and it does contain sexual content. I love all of your reviews and I cannot thank you enough for you support. For those that are waiting for the next chapter of Things I Never Needed, it's slowly coming. I have a tough time writing smut and trying to keep it exciting and fresh and the upcoming chapter has to be a bit more delicate but still remain true to Happy's character. It's been a bit more difficult that I had hoped. Enough rambling, please enjoy.**

* * *

_Who has to know_

_When we live such fragile lives_

_It's the best way we survive_

_I go around a time or two_

_Just to waste my time with you_

_Tell me all that you've thrown away_

_Find out games you don't wanna play_

_You are the only one that needs to know_

Tig had turned out to be a pretty fun car ride companion. Phil was in the backseat of the van engrossed in some video game so it left Jolie and Tig in the front. Other than a slight battle over who was going to control the music, the pair had easily gotten along. Jolie noticed that Tig had a sick, twisted sense of humor and combined with Jolie's dry, sarcastic wit; they were quite the pair.

Jolie laughed with tears in her eyes when Tig told her about Juice taking some pills and passing out to the point where they were able to put a diaper on him and then he turned around and gave the pills to some dog that ended up biting Tig in the ass.

"Was your brother always like that?" Jolie smiled at the question.

"JC has always been good at unintentionally being the source of comic relief." Jolie started to share some stories from the sibling's time in New York until they pulled up at some diner. Phil looked up from his game and hopped out of the car, muttering that he was starving.

Jolie took her time to stretch out her legs and crack her back. She accepted a kiss on the cheek from Juice when he came up next to her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I like Tig." Juice's eyes popped out of his head.

"You do?"

"Not like that, ass." Jolie stated as she swatted his arm.

"No, it's just odd. Most people don't like Tig for any reason."

"He's funny."

"He's crazy."

"Some would say so am I."

"Not going to argue with that one." Jolie bumped her hip against Juice.

"Go inside. I'm going to use the bathroom and wash my hands." Jolie walked around to the ladies room door and locked eyes with Happy as he was walking out of the men's room. Jolie was not a bashful woman by any means, but the intensity of Happy's stare always made her feel the need to avert her eyes.

"You okay with doing this?" He asked as he looked her up and down.

"No but I don't really have a choice." Jolie rolled her eyes at herself. Why was she always so fucking honest with this man? It was like he had some power over her that she wasn't aware of.

Happy looked around the parking lot to make sure there was no one around. He grabbed Jolie's arm and pulled her in the woman's bathroom. She gasped slightly when he pinned her against her the wall and locked the door.

Happy leaned down and placed a finger under her chin, allowing his mouth to brush hers in what had to be the most teasing way ever. She groaned slightly when his fingers brushed down over her jeans.

"Happy..We're kinda of on a time schedule." Jolie reminded him as if it would spring him into action and do something besides teasing her to all holy hell.

"Shut up." Happy commanded and Jolie glared slightly. Okay, her state of mind was not the best right now and everything and everyone was starting to piss her off. Including the man that had her pinned against the door.

"Okay, seriously. What are you doing? Because if you plan on getting me off, I would like to still have enough time to eat."

"Do you ever shut the fuck up?" He clenches his jaw. He's got this intense look in his eye that makes her totally unable to look away, and she braces her hands back against the door, because she thinks she'll need it in a moment. His hands come down to the side of her jeans, and he jerks them down roughly, as far as he can, and then his hand is between her legs, slipping lower and lower, and his mouth is on hers as he soaks his fingers in her.

"Happy." Jolie groans out as her head starts to feel cloudy.

He pinches her clit between his fingers and her hips jerk towards his. All he does, though, is use his thighs to pin her in place against the door, and work his hand down a little further, pushing her legs a little wider. Her mouth is open as she breathes, and he looks down to see himself working between her legs, his hand disappearing under the denim that's barely even out of the way.

"Shit, you want this."

"Yes," she says, and she's desperate. His free hand is right behind her, so she leans back a bit and brushes against it, until he's palming her ass in his hand as he teases the fuck out of her. "Happy, god."

He bites at her bottom lip, then pulls back, smirking. "Want me inside you?"

"Yes," she repeats. She's like, stupidly close to coming already and he's barely touched her.

He slips one finger inside her and she brings her hand up to sit on the back of his neck, keeping him close to her. Then he pushes a second finger into her, and her nails dig into the skin of his neck.

"Fuck, Happy."

His fingers curl inside her, then come all the way out and he rubs her clit before pushing back inside. She cries out and he kisses her hard, shoving his tongue right into her mouth. She works her hips a bit, back and forth, and eventually he gets the hint and puts his thumb back against her nerves, working it in a circle as he fucks her with his fingers.

"Jesus," he laughs a bit, and there's this weird, genuine smile he gives her when she opens her eyes. He slows down his work with his hand, but that doesn't mean he fucks her any gentler. She likes it like this, intense, with his forehead against hers. "You look so fucking hot right now."

She lets out this sound and he smirks again and licks up the length of her jaw, curls his fingers and scrapes his thumb nail lightly across her nerves. It sends her flying over the edge and she comes with a scream. She's usually not so loud unless she's actually being fucked, but it was intense and she couldn't help herself.

"Oh, my god," she says, and her legs feel like they won't support her when he pulls his hand away and pushes his fingers past her lips. She rolls her tongue against them as they look at one another, and then pulls him in for another kiss.

Jolie reaches down to grab the button of Happy's jeans and undoes them. As soon as she has the zipper pulled halfway down, a quick knock at the door scares the shit out of her.

"Jolie, you okay in there? Juicy Boy is getting worried about you." Jolie takes a few quick breathes before clearing her throat.

"Yeah, Chibs, I'm alright. I'll be out in a minute."

"Ok lassie." Jolie closes her eyes and leans her head back against the door once she thinks that Chibs has walked away. "Oh and tell Happy that Clay is looking for him." Jolie's eyes pop open and she looks at Happy but she hears Chibs laughing to himself as he walks away.

"Motherfuck." Jolie exclaims as she pushes Happy away from her and she walks over to the sink to wash her hands and get herself together. Happy was quickly becoming dangerous for her but she didn't know how to stop herself when he was around. Jolie looked at herself in the mirror and once she was satisfied with her appearance, she ducked out of the bathroom without looking back at Happy.

Jolie fights the urge to smack the smirks off of both Jax and Chibs's faces when she finally makes it into the diner and takes a seat next to Tig.

"Everything alright?" Juice asked.

"Yeah, I was on the phone with Harley and we got a little carried away." Jolie ignored the way Jax's eyebrow rose at her choice of words.

"You seen Hap out there?" Clay asked and Jolie shook her head as she looked down at the salad that she knew Juice must have ordered for her. A few minutes, Jolie had her head down when she heard Tig speak.

"Where the hell were you killah?"

"Went across the road to get some smokes." Happy answered as he plopped down into the available space next to Jolie. Jolie glanced up and glared at the smile Chibs was giving her.

"Alright there is a gas station up the road for us to fill up and then it should be our last stop. I would like to get there by nightfall." Clay announced as everyone nodded. "You alright doll?" Clay asked Jolie.

"I'm just ready to get this shit over with."


	16. Bullets In The Gun

_They used to call me lightning_

_I was always quick to strike_

_Had everything I own_

_In the saddles on my bike_

_I had a reputation_

_For never staying very long_

_Just like a wild and restless drifter_

_Like a cowboy in a song_

_Never see it comin'_

_It just hits you by surprise_

_It's that cold place in your soul_

_And the fire in her eyes_

_That makes you come together_

_Like wild horses when they run_

_Now the cards are on the table and_

_The bullets in the gun_

Jolie jerked up from her nap when she felt the truck coming to a stop. After the diner, Phil had taken over driving leaving Jolie to get some rest in the back seat. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked out the window to see a clubhouse that looked similar to the on in Charming.

"Where are we?" Jolie asked as she rolled her shoulders back a few times.

"SAMTEZ clubhouse. We are staying here for the night." Tig answered as he opened the back door and offered Jolie a hand so she could jump down. She watched as a group of men walked outside the clubhouse and hugs and handshakes were handed out.

"This here is Jolie, Juice's sister." Clay said as he pointed to her. Jolie was a bit irked. She didn't bring a change of clothes because she didn't think she was going to need one. She was dressed to battle, not to sit around and bullshit. She thanked God she had enough sense to put a toothbrush in her purse. She gave a half of a wave to everyone and followed the guys into the clubhouse.

She watched as everyone went about their own business, either going towards the bar or one of the numerous girls that were hanging around with very little clothes on. Jolie rolled her eyes as she plopped down on the nearest couch and pulled out her cell phone.

"Can I get you anything?" Jolie looked up to see a young kid with a Prospect label on his cut. She smiled at the kid who seemed nervous in her presence for some reason.

"No, I'm good. Thanks." Jolie went back to her phone and was annoyed that she couldn't seem to connect to the internet. Jolie threw the phone back in her purse and sighed deeply as her eyes scanned the room.

She looked over when Chibs took a seat next to her, beer in one hand and shot in the other. "How you doin love?"

"Alright. I guess all the clubhouses are the same." Jolie nodded towards the Aerosmith music playing and the chick with the tassels on the makeshift stripper pole.

"We are simple men." Chibs answered and Jolie laughed. They continued to watch the woman, Jolie was annoyed that she didn't' seem to have any rhythm, not like that really mattered to the guys.

"You gonna give me any shit?" Jolie asked. Chibs knew what she was referring to even though she didn't mention any names.

"Nah but can I offer some advice? If you and Hap are going to continue this, Juicy Boy is bound to find out. You two haven't exactly been discreet." Jolie ran a hand over her forehead.

"It's not that big of a deal."

"Maybe not to you but it could mean a whole hell of a lot to Juice." Jolie sighed as she leaned back on the couch. She looked across the room and saw a blonde sitting on Happy's lap while he continued to stare at her. "You're not one of them." Chibs said referring to the scantily clad girls. "Don't allow yourself to be treated like you are."

* * *

The following morning, Jolie was up before anyone else. Sleep didn't come easy to her and she finally passed out in the truck around 4 in the morning. By 8, she was already up and as presentable as she could be given the circumstances. Jolie walked over the numerous bodies until she found the kitchen and started to make a pot of coffee.

"Morning." Jolie jumped at the noise and turned around to see Opie standing behind her.

"Morning." She pointed towards the coffee machine and when Opie nodded, she poured two cups and handed one to the tall man. They each made their cups to their desire before walking outside and sitting down at one of the picnic tables.

"You don't look like you had a lot of fun last night." Jolie remarked as she took a sip of the hot liquid.

"When you're married to a porn star, the shit these girls come up with don't really compare." The pair smiled at each other. "I can't believe you're doing this."

"Well it's not like I was given much of a choice."

"The vote for you doing this barely passed. I know Juice doesn't want this for you, he's struggling to keep his mouth shut cause he don't want to piss off Clay."

"Yeah that won't do him much good. I can pack my shit tomorrow but JC doesn't have that option. Whether I like or not, this club is his life and I love him too much to bring any pain to him intentionally."

"Despite that bullshit that Clay said, no woman has ever done what you are getting ready to do. Sometimes Gemma gets wrapped up in shit, but that's normally her own doing."

Jolie smiled softly. "I know but most women don't have the skill set that I do either. Once I saw Romeo and Luis standing in that parking lot, I knew that one day the call would come. Didn't expect it to be this soon." Jolie stretched one of her legs out.

"I like you. You've been great with Lyla when a lot of other people treat her like shit. I hate that this is on your shoulders." Opie said as he rubbed a hand over his beard.

"Don't feel guilty over something that's not your fault. Me doing this…it's not about Clay or the club or even the fucking cartel. It's about my brother. I don't want him to take the fall for my shit. So if I have to reach down into a part of my soul that I buried a long time ago, then that's just what I'm going to have to do." Opie nodded his head in understanding.

"Juice is lucky to have you."

"Not that lucky. I'm starting to think me being here is making shit worse for him."

"No it's not." Jolie turned her head as Juice walked over to the table scratching his bare chest as he squinted against the sun. Juice placed a kiss on the top of her head before grabbing her coffee mug. He grimaced when he saw that it was empty. "Clay said he wants to head out soon, try to get down there and back before nightfall."

"I have to stay in this clubhouse again tonight?" Jolie asked with a frown on her face.

"I think that's the plan."

"I'm going to need to find a Wal-Mart or something. Buy some goddamn Lysol to wipe everything down before I touch it." Juice and Opie laughed at Jolie's obvious discomfort about being in the clubhouse. Opie stood up and smiled at Jolie before heading back inside and Juice took over his seat.

"I love you sis."

"I know. I love you too."

"I had almost forgot what it was like having you around. I've missed it and I've missed you. I really don't want you packing up and leaving but I would understand if you did." Jolie tapped the table a few times as she tried to get her words together.

"I'm staying until the SHINE competition. Anything after that is anyone's guess? You figured out any of your own shit yet?" Jolie asked referring to the Roosevelt situation. With everything going on, it was easy to put that problem on the back burner but that was the reason that Jolie came to Charming in the first place and she wasn't stepping on toe out of the town until she knew that he was going to be okay.

"Nah. I just want to get through this shit first." The siblings looked over when the doors opened and Clay and Tig made their presence known.

"We leave in thirty minutes." Jolie sighed as she sent a quick prayer that everything would be fine.

* * *

Pulling up to Alejandro Rivera's compound was a shock for most of the men. The home was sitting far back in the woods, surrounded by nothing but trees. It was a huge compound with beautiful landscapes and a six car garage. They had to go through two security check points before they could even park.

Jolie remained quiet as she jumped out the truck and waited for all the guys to start moving towards the house. The front door opened and an older, white haired gentleman dressed in a three piece Italian suit walked out with a cigar in one hand and a smile on his face.

"Gentleman." Alejandro greeted in a thick accent. Jolie moved from her spot behind Phil and Alejandro started to laugh.

"Well I'll be damned, Jolissa Ortiz as I live and breathe." Jolie accepted the kiss on the cheek as she nodded for the men to follow her inside. She watched as Clay and Jax introduced themselves but Alejandro was staring directly at Jolie. He started speaking to her in Spanish.

"I thought I would never see you again."

"That was the plan." Jolie answered.

"I never got to apologize for that….unfortunate incident the last time I saw you." Jolie could feel everyone's eyes on her as if they were watching a tennis match that they didn't understand.

"Apology accepted if you never bring it up again."

"When Romeo said you would be coming, I didn't believe him."

"Well it's a one-time deal. I'm just paying off a debt. A courtesy to the club for taking care of my brother."

"That's going to be a problem." Jolie narrowed her eyes.

"Why?"

"I don't know them, don't trust them. I trust you. This club had one drop and many of them ended up getting killed because they didn't know what they were doing. My business is too important to risk with a bunch of bikers that don't understand the rules."

"This is not my concern." She watched as Alejandro went to the bar in the corner of the main living room and poured himself a drink. He turned back towards Clay and resorted back to English.

"I'm doing this drop as a good faith for Romeo. The circumstances surrounding the last one does not sit well with me. Having Jolie here gives you credibility. That is the only reason why I am agreeing to this."

"We won't have another incident with the Lobos that our other charter did."

"You can't guarantee that. The only way that this relationship can continue is if Jolissa is always present during these exchanges."

"NO WAY IN HELL!" Jolie shouted and glared at both Clay and Alejandro. "I am out and I plan to stay that way."

"There has got to be another way we can gain your trust." Jax interjected.

"Not this early. You have Jolissa work with you on a few more of your runs and then we can renegotiate our arrangement."

"Stop talking about me like I'm a prized horse at the county fair. I'm not fucking doing this shit again."

"You always did have a mouth on you. I would hate for that to be your downfall." Jolie struggled to not pull out her gun.

"Why are you doing this?"

"It's business. You understand." Alejandro turned back towards Clay. "Those are my stipulations, take it or leave it." Clay looked over at Jolie for a few minutes before extending his hand towards Alejandro.

"Jolie will be present from now on. I will make sure of it."

"The fuck I will." Jolie screamed out, as if to remind everyone that she was still standing RIGHT THERE. Jolie turned around and started to stalk towards the front door when a built man came out of nowhere and blocked her path. Jolie looked over her shoulder.

"You really want to do this?" Jolie aimed her question towards Alejandro and the older man just smiled at her. "Get out of my way." Jolie snarled at the bodyguard who simply crossed his arms and smiled down at the tiny woman, not the least bit scared of her.

She watched as the man cut his eyes towards Alejandro and even though she couldn't see him, she knew that the bodyguard was waiting for some type of signal. Jolie could feel her blood boiling as a calm rage overtook her body for the first time in three years. It was all becoming too much for her: JC, Roosevelt, leaving her home, losing her savings, Romeo, Clay, Happy, Alejandro. She was tired of playing by the rules of these men in her life. She was tired of tip-toeing around, trying not to step on any inappropriate toes or do the wrong thing. She kept her steely gaze on the man and when he made a move to grab her, she stopped thinking and just reacted.

The second she felt her arm being grabbed, she reached her free hand behind her back and before anyone could step in, Jolie had released the safety off her gun and fired two shots in the man's skull. Jolie jumped back on instant to avoid too much blood touching her. She watched the man fall to the ground and the members of SOA saw her practically transform in front of her eyes.

Jolie took a few deep breaths and lifted her eyes to lock with Alejandro. "I should have warned him not to underestimate you." The older man replied with hint of amusement. Jolie looked down at the gun in her hand and sighed. She had played right into Alejandro's hand. Killing this man insured that she wouldn't be able to just walk away, not without consequences of death or jail. She forgot the motto "brains before bullets" and it was now going to cost her.

"Guess I'm back in."


	17. Criminal

**A/N: Editing chapters make me feel violent. I swear I read these things four times before posting them, yet when I reread them on the site, I always find a mistake or two I've missed. My renewed love for writing had been very therapeutic and I'm trying to make each chapter and story better than the last so I apologize to any that have picked up on my errors. I really do try and edit to the best of my eye sight.**

**I'm giving this story two updates in one day because I will be super busy this week and I don't know if I will be able to get another chapter out soon. This chapter contains sexual content.**

* * *

_Heaven help me_

_For the way I am_

_Save me from_

_These evil deeds_

_Before I get them done_

_I know tomorrow brings_

_The consequence at hand_

_But I keep livin' this day like_

_The next will never come_

_What I need_

_Is a good defense_

_'Cause I'm feelin'_

_Like a criminal_

Jolie opted to ride back to the SAMTAZ clubhouse with Juice, hoping that the fresh air would somehow ease her mind and soul. She didn't speak to anyone as Alejandro had his clean-up crew take care of the bodyguard before his handlers deposited the blow into the back of the truck. Jolie kept her eyes down as everything happened and only looked up when she felt Happy stand beside her and take the gun out of her hand that she forgot she was holding.

Once the siblings pulled into the lot and got off the bike, Juice just stared at Jolie while everyone went inside, knowing that they needed to talk in private.

"I'm so sorry." Juice whispered as he pulled his baby sister in for a hug. Unfortunately Jolie was still numb and could barely register his arms around her.

"You didn't do this."

"Tell me what I can do to make this right." Jolie placed a hand on Juice's cheek.

"Go inside, get drunk and get laid. What's done is done. I can't go back and change it. We can't dwell on this Juan. I know what I have to do and we just have to accept that." Juice looked into Jolie's dull, practically lifeless eyes and blinked back the tears that wanted to form.

"I don't know what to do with this Jolie."

"Nothing you can do babe except continue to play with the hand we were dealt. We will survive this Juan. We always survive."

"The way you handled that guy….How many times have you had to do that?" Jolie looked up into the clear Arizona sky and ran a hand over her hair before looking back at Juice.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Jolie pushed Juice towards the clubhouse door and promised to be in shortly.

Once her brother was out of sight, Jolie squatted down and ran a shaky hand over her face in repeated motion until she could start to feel again. She hated this part of herself, the part of her that was able to pull a trigger so easily. No one would ever call Jolie a good girl, but prior to Miami, her crimes seemed tame. Conning men and beating bitches up were nothing compared to taking lives and disposing of bodies.

Jolie stood up when she heard the door open and she glared when she saw Jax walking towards her with a serious expression on his face.

"Don't say a word."

"Jolie…"

"No, you don't get to talk to me. I don't want to hear anything from any one of you. I will do what needs to be done but don't think for a second that it means I give a shit about any of you other than Juan. Nobody around here has been fucking honest with me and I'm sick and tired of constantly having the wool pulled over my eyes. I come to Charming because I was told my brother needed me but had to find out on my own the real truth. This was just supposed to be a motorcycle club who dealt in guns but you have a fucking deal with the cartel. A one-time deal to help out turns out to be me being sucked back in a world that I have tried so hard to separate myself from."

"I know how you feel."

"No you don't. You can't possibly know I feel. Golden boy of SAMCRO, with his two kids and loving Old Lady." Jax glared at Jolie as he walked closer to her.

"You don't know shit about me or my club."

"I know that this club had my brother jumping off a tree branch with a goddamn chain wrapped around his neck. I know that this club claims to be all about family but your President had no problem throwing me in the line of fire tonight. None of you have the right to play God with my life."

"No one told you to kill that guy. You didn't have to do that." Jolie rolled her eyes.

"Yes I did. If I didn't do that, Alejandro would have made sure one of you was dead and I couldn't run the risk of it being Juan." Jolie crossed her arms over her chest. "You really don't get this, do you? The Sons are out of their fucking league. The little fuck up with the Lobos put Galindo back on the radar and that is not a place where they like to be. Romeo told Clay that I would be an asset because he knew that one or more of you stood the chance of not making it out of there alive. He thought that maybe seeing me would give you guys a pass but it didn't work out that way."

Jax stood back stunned at what Jolie was telling him. He didn't for one second think about the possibility that Jolie just laid out in front of him. "I didn't even consider that."

"Of course you didn't because you don't know what shit storm you started. If I were you, I would set up a meeting with Romeo the second you land in Charming. Find out what he really wants from you and how long this shit is going to last because if things continue to go this way the Galindo cartel will wipe out your entire club and everyone associated with you and still find time to make it home for dinner with their families." Jolie warned as she walked past Jax and headed inside.

* * *

She looked around the room and nodded her head to herself when she saw JC being pulled in the back with two blonde women. She saw Chibs out of the corner of her eye making his way towards her but one glare stopped him in his tracks. She shook her head to let him know that now was not the right time and he turned and headed back towards the stripper pole.

Jolie walked towards the bar and waited until she had the prospects attention. "Jack please."

"Single or double shot?"

"Bottle." Jolie requested and the prospect looked shocked before complying. Jolie opened the bottle and immediately took a shot. She winced at how warm the liquid was but the burn was just what she needed. Jolie leaned against the bar and turned her body so she could get a better view of everyone. She noticed that Clay and Jax were nowhere to be found, probably discussing her little outburst.

Jolie watched as a tall redhead with curly hair pulled Happy up from the couch and started to pull him towards the back. He turned his head and locked eyes with Jolie. Jolie took another swig of the bottle in her hand before she followed. By the time she bypassed all the people, she noticed the last door on the left shut.

Without even bothering to knock, Jolie swung the door opened and the redhead jumped and looked back while her thin fingers were holding on to Happy's belt. Jolie glared at the surprised woman.

"Get out." Jolie growled.

"We are busy here." The woman said once she got her bearings together. Jolie took another pull from the bottle before she walked fully in the room.

"You got two choices: get out or be thrown out." Jolie reached down in her boot, grabbed one of her knives, flipped it open and slammed it down on the dresser that was to her right. "What's it going to be sweetheart?"

The woman looked back towards Happy, waiting to see how it would react to the unbalanced woman that barged in the room right before she was finally going to get her shot with the bald headed mystery man. Instead Happy just stood there with his hands on his hips; his cheeks were twitching as he fought the urge to grin. The woman huffed and hurried out of the room, almost being hit with the door when Jolie slammed it and flipped the lock.

"Take your clothes off." She said to Happy as she leaned down to unzip and kick off her boots. Happy watched with an unreadable expression on his face.

"If this is about earlier…"

"If I wanted to talk about earlier, I would have gone to someone else. I need to be fucked fast and hard. Can you help me with that?" Jolie asked as she pushed her jeans down her legs and pulled the shirt over her head. When she reached behind her back to remove the waist holster, Happy peeled off his cut and removed his own shirt.

Her panties dropped at the same time that his boxers hit the floor. She couldn't help but notice that he was already hard. Guess Happy had a thing for a woman that took control from time to time. Before Jolie could blink, Happy grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her face first on the bed.

"On your knees." Happy commanded and Jolie quickly did as she was told. "Ready?" Jolie turned her head to curse him out when she realized that he was just fucking with her, but that's only because his hand has now moved down to see how wet she was. Hell she could have told him the second he looked at her when she was standing at the bar she was dripping wet.

He pushes her shoulder almost roughly so she's forced to brace herself on her hands again and he's entering her not at all gently before she's really steady. Her body moves forward, so he grabs her hips to pull her back.

"Holy fuck, Happy," she gasps. He grinds against her, pushing into her as far as he can. "Fuck, yes."

He pulls her hair roughly with one hand and uses the other to reach around and rub her clit. She does not need the help coming any faster than she's already going to.

She also thinks he's being way too quiet, until he snaps his hips and says, "Say my name again," in this gruff voice she swears could be enough to get her off.

The fact that he can form complete sentences impresses her, because she's halfway to oblivion and the only word she even has the ability to recall right now is his name.

"Happy," she moans loudly. He presses his fingers together and taps her clit a few times, a little harder every time until her body presses back against his and a cry of his name leaves her throat.

This is usually the part where she starts giving direction. It shocks the fuck out of her that she doesn't need to. She doesn't even want to. She doesn't need him to fuck her harder or faster or touch her more.

One thing she wants is for him to kiss her. She wants his lips on hers the same way he's fucking her; hard, fast and dirty. "Kiss me," she manages. He says nothing, just pushes into her at the same time he jerks her hips back on him.

He pulls his hand away from her and brings it to her mouth. She doesn't hesitate to wrap her lips around his fingers, even though this isn't what she asked for. Then he tugs at her hair again and she leans back, turns her head so she can plunge her tongue into his mouth while his hand cups her breast and he stills inside her. He moans into her mouth and curls his tongue around hers, tweaks her nipple and grinds his hips against hers.

He pulls his lips from hers and kisses across her cheek to her ear. "You taste really good," he murmurs and means it. Compared to his normal menu of porn stars and crow eaters, Jolie's scent is intoxicating.

She leans back down on her hands and drops her head as he thrusts slowly in and out of her. She thinks he's trying to drag it out, which is fine, but she might cry if he holds her back from falling over the edge too long.

His hand comes down on her ass just once. It's not really a spank, but she really wouldn't mind if it was. Her thigh trembles and she ends up falling forward on one elbow and turning her head to look at him. His eyes are on her ass. Actually, she realizes he's looking down and watching his cock disappear into her with each thrust. She feels her muscles start to tense, drops her head again. She whimpers, tries to hide it and bite it back. Then his cock grazes her g-spot and she lets out a whine. "I'm gonna come," she tells him. She drops onto both elbows and pushes her ass up a bit.

He makes a sound she can't decipher and pushes down between her shoulder blades, uses his other hand between her legs again until she's tensing and coming as hard or harder than she ever has. She feels herself tightening around him as her orgasm rolls through her body, making her knees quake and forcing her eyes closed. She screams his name and it makes him pulse inside her, still his hand and his body and empty into her with just her name on his lips.

He moves shallowly, fucking her through both their orgasms, until she feels like she can breathe again and may be returning to some kind of normal. He leans over her back, kisses along the back of her shoulder and up her neck. She tries to turn her head but her body is exhausted. He grabs hold of her chin and tilts her head so he can kiss her. He's still inside her. She wants to keep him there.

"Jesus Christ, Happy," she manages. He buries his face against her neck and she feels his light laughter absolutely everywhere. It took a few minutes before Happy finally pulls out of her and grabs two wet washcloths from the basin sitting in the corner. Crow eaters were nothing if not prepared.

Once Jolie felt herself able to stand, she wiped herself down and quickly got redressed. Happy didn't know what to make of this broad. They had sex longer than they have had conversations and for some reason that was starting to bother him. If Happy was honest with himself, he would say it was because she was unnervingly like the female version of him. Before Happy could open his mouth to say anything, Jolie pulled her hair back in a ponytail, muttered her thanks and walked out of the room like nothing had happened.


	18. Devil On The Left, Angel On The Right

_Put a devil on the left, an angel on the right_

_I'm already livin' in the middle of the fight_

_And round and round and round and round it goes_

_Part of me's in heaven, part of me's in hell_

_Part of me is strugglin' tryin' to find my way through life_

_With a devil on the left and an angel on the right_

Jolie had never felt more out of a place than she did pulling her car into the Caracara lot dressed in her workout gear after leaving an intense session with Ron up in Oakland. They had arrived back in Charming three days prior and Jolie avoid any and everything associated with SAMCRO. Unfortunately, that also meant she was ignoring Lyla and it wasn't fair to the young blonde. Besides Jolie did miss her friend; she could use some of her sunshine optimism right about now.

She had received a call from Romeo. He knew what went down at Alejandro's and he wasn't pleased but Alejandro was one of the cartel's biggest suppliers and they couldn't afford to lose him. Despite Romeo's anger over what happened, both he and Jolie knew there really wasn't much that could be done. Romeo had simply told her that he would be in touch, which Jolie knew was code for Romeo having to leave to deal with business in South America.

That had been the only bright spot for Jolie so far. Romeo being out of town meant that there was no immediate runs planned, giving Jolie the opportunity to immerse herself into her wrestling training and work. It also meant that she had no reason to go the clubhouse and she was more than okay with that.

"Jolie." Lyla exclaimed when she spotted the woman who was quickly becoming her closest confidante. The two women hugged and Jolie winced as one of the porn girls was testing out a paddle on a guy. Lyla giggled as she guided Jolie towards an empty dressing room and shut the door.

Jolie took a seat on the couch and pulled her legs up Indian style as Lyla poured both of them a drink. "How was Arizona?"

"Exhausting."

"I can only imagine." Jolie raised her eyebrow as Lyla handed her the whiskey sour. "Opie, Juice and Chibs were hanging out at the house the other day. They didn't tell me what happened; just that Clay is using you for his own personal agenda."

"How much do you know about the club? About what Opie and the rest of the guys do?" Lyla sighed as she crossed her legs.

"Nothing but I wanted it that way. When he was married to Donna, he hid everything from her and she still ended up in the crosshairs. When we got together, he offered me the choice to know everything or nothing. We settled on a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. I have three children to think about now and I'm not the best at hiding my emotions. I couldn't be constantly worried about him while having to be strong for them."

"And if you do decide to ask?"

"He will tell me the things that I need to know, like when we go on lockdown and stuff but other than that, nothing." Jolie nodded her head. She commended Lyla's ability to stay in a relationship despite being left out of a huge chunk of her husband's life. Jolie never could do that, she always found herself smack dab in the middle of whatever was going on with the men in her life.

"So, how's Happy?" Lyla asked with a smile on her face. She saw that Jolie seemed to look more serious than the last time she had seen her and she figured a little girl talk was just what the woman needed. Jolie sighed as she leaned back against the couch and got comfortable.

"I have no idea what I'm doing anymore Lyla." Jolie told Lyla about her time spent with Happy, the bathroom incident where Chibs caught them AGAIN and the clubhouse incident when she kicked the redhead out. She left out the reason of why she was so wound up but told her everything else.

"Okay, ignoring the fact that you got caught again, it seems like things are really getting hot between you two."

"I'm losing my mind Lyla. How is it possible that the best sex I have ever had is with a man who I don't talk to. Fuck, I don't even know his name."

"You know his name."

"I know his alias." Jolie corrected. "That's not really much. If he like robs my condo one night, what am I supposed to tell the cops? One of the seven dwarfs stole my shit?" Lyla almost spit out her drink from laughing.

"There is chemistry there Jolie. You can't deny that." Jolie sighed.

"It's like sexually we are so in sync. I'm not a mild, meek chick in or out of the bedroom. I need a strong man that can keep up with me and he can. It's fucking unnerving. Lyla, when I barged in that room and demanded to be fucked, he did it and it was so fucking odd. Like I didn't have to give him directions or tell him to pull harder or go slower, it's like we just know. How the fuck do you have that kind of connection with a virtual fucking stranger?"

"So what are you going to do?"

"Try and stay as far away from him as I can because all this thinking is making my head hurt."

* * *

"Were you ever going to tell me that you are sleeping with my sister?" Happy looked up from his solo pool game to see Juice standing in front of him, hands in the pockets of his cut staring intently at Happy. Happy looked around the room and noticed that they were the only two there so Juice had to be referring to him.

"She told you?"

"She didn't have to. I may not have known everything that was going on with her while we were apart, but she's still my sister. I know how she operates and I know her type. I figured she would end up hooking up with either you or Tig. If it had been Tig, we all would have heard about five minutes after it happened. That's when I figured it had to be you." Happy placed the pool stick down and stood up straight.

He wasn't a man of many words but Juice deserved the proper respect. To be honest, Happy should have done the right thing and approached Juice after the second time. If Happy had a sister and he found out that one of the boys was fucking her behind his back, he would be hard pressed to find a reason not to add another smiley face to his collection.

"I'm not going to fuck with her head or anything man, if that's what you're worried about."

"She's not a crow eater or a porn chick, but she's also not the type to be looking to be an old lady. When it comes to men, Jolie is complicated. She normally does the whole no string attached thing, leaves before she can get left and all that bullshit. I've never seen you with the same girl twice. If you are going to do this, I just want both of you to be on the same page. I love you man, but if you use my sister and then toss her out like trash, I will try my damndest to kill you." Happy took in the serious expression on Juice's face.

"That's it? No yelling, wanting to get in the ring or forcing me to stay ten feet away from her?" Happy was a bit shocked at how calm Juice was in this whole thing.

"She's grown. I learned a long time ago that it's worthless to try and tell Jolie how to live her life but if you are going to continue to sleep with my sister, I expect you to protect and watch out for her. It's only fair." Happy moved around the pool table so he was standing directly in front of Juice. The two men embraced as Happy agreed. Juice couldn't stop Jolie from doing what she wanted but a part of him knew that Happy was the perfect person to look after her.

Juice walked out of the clubhouse and pulled out his cell phone. There was something he needed to do. He scrolled down the call list until he found the name he was looking for. He placed the phone to his ear and after two rings, the older man answered.

"Chibs? I need to talk to you."

* * *

Later that night, Jolie was sitting in her living room clad in an oversized sweat shirt with the sleeves cut off while cradling a glass of green tea in one hand and the remote control in the other. She was watching Pretty Woman when she heard a knock at her door. Rolling her eyes, Jolie stood up and grabbed the money off of the coffee table, assuming that it was the chicken ceaser wrap and Buffalo wings that she had ordered. She looked through the peephole; a trait she was starting to learn was important and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey Chibs."

"Hey love." Jolie pulled the door open further allowing the Scot to walk inside. He glanced at the paused screen and looked back at Jolie.

"I'm a sucker for Richard Gere." She offered as a way of explanation. "What's up?"

"I talked to your brother. I know what happened." Jolie sat down on the opposite end of the couch and pulled the sweatshirt over her knees when she pulled them up but remained quiet. "I know about your da."

"What about him?" Chibs smiled to himself. No one could ever say the girl wasn't guarded.

"That he was black. Juicy Boy told me that your da was black and Roosevelt was using that against him, threatening to tell the club." Jolie nodded her head but she was still a bit confused.

"So what happens now? You guys going to kill him, kick him out? I'm still not sure how this damn club works."

"No one knows but me and I have no intention of saying anything. The only thing that matters to the club is the paperwork. His paperwork says he's Hispanic so that what he is." Jolie wanted to breathe a sigh of relief but she knew that she couldn't. Even if Juice admitted that Roosevelt was trying to blackmail him, she knew there was no way he confessed to killing Myles.

"So that's it? He's been running himself sick for nothing? Jesus Chibs, he tried to kill himself because he was scared of what everyone's reaction would be and now what? He's just supposed to smile; move on like that shit didn't rip his soul out?" Jolie said in disbelief. She couldn't just let her guard down and believe that everything was magically going to be okay now.

"I know it seems difficult to wrap your head around but yeah, that's it. He never gave Roosevelt any information, he's not a rat." Jolie closed her eyes at how wrong Chibs was but she nodded anyway.

"Thank you for telling me this Chibs." Chibs smiled as he stood up.

"No problem love. I just wanted to give you some piece of mind." Chibs kissed the top of Jolie's head. "Lock up behind me." Jolie stood and followed Chibs to the door. Once she was all locked up, she leaned against the piece of wood and took a shaky breath. This was far from over and Jolie could only wonder how Chibs was going to react when he found out the whole truth.

The knocking at the door startled Jolie since she was still leaning against it. She pulled it open and was more than a bit surprised to see Happy standing there with her delivery food in his hand.

"Kid brought it to my place by mistake." Happy said as he walked past her and headed towards her kitchen.

"How much do I owe you?"

"It was free." Jolie washed her hands at the sink and opened the bag containing the food. She grabbed her wrap and set it on a paper plate.

"You want some wings? I bought thirty and I know I can't eat them all." Jolie offered as she handed Happy a plate. The two got their plates together and Jolie grabbed a beer for Happy from the fridge. They walked back towards the living room and Jolie pressed play on the DVD player.

_You make $100 dollars an hour and you have a safety pin holding your boot up?_

Happy snorted at the movie in front of him. "What?" Jolie asked as she looked over.

"Every whore's fairytale movie." Happy answered causing Jolie to roll her eyes.

"You got a purpose for being here, other than bringing my food?"

"Juice knows we fucked." Jolie choked on her tea at Happy's bluntness.

"No way you could have said that statement a little gentler?" Jolie asked sarcastically. "Did you tell him?"

"Didn't have to. He said he knows your type. Figured it would be me or Tig." Jolie couldn't help but smile. She couldn't say that Tig hadn't crossed her mind.

"So what now?" Happy shrugged.

"Kid said we are both grown, he's not going to get involved."

"There is nothing to get involved with. It's just sex." Jolie said as she took a bite of her wrap.

"You really believe that shit?" Happy asked causing jolie to look directly at him.

"I have to." Jolie answered honestly before turning back towards the television, cutting off the rest of the conversation.

* * *

The following morning, Jolie pulled into the TM lot after hitting the gym. She walked past a few of the mechanics and found Juice standing by an old Dyna.

"We need to talk." Jolie said. Juice looked around before grabbing her arm and pulling her into the bathroom. She looked around the place in disgust before grabbing the bottle of Glade spray and using it around the room. "Chibs came by to see me, told me that you confessed to him about Dad being black and Roosevelt knowing."

"Yeah, it's all over now Jolie. Chibs says that everything will be alright." Jolie crossed her arms over her chest.

"Then why are you still carrying around a FBI burn phone?" Juice's eyes got wide.

"How did you know?"

"Because I'm not stupid, Juan. What the hell is going on?"

"I killed a member, stole some blow and gave it to Roosevelt. This shit isn't over."

"So why say anything to Chibs in the first place?'

"It seemed like the right thing to do."

"But technically, you are still a rat Juan. If they find out, they will still kill you."

"I have to do what these assholes tell me to do or all this shit will blow up in my face. I'm trying to save the club, myself and you."

"Me? What the fuck do I have to do with anything?"

"Roosevelt said he knows you killed that Chris guy, has some evidence and he will show it to Romeo." Jolie closed her eyes briefly.

"Shit." She whispered.

"You killed the nephew of the leader of the Cartel? What the hell were you thinking?" Jolie looked at Juice and kissed her older brother on the cheek. She had to stop this shit once and for all.

"I gotta go."

"Go where?"

"I need to make this shit right."


	19. Shadow of a Black Crow

_**A/N: When I started this story, I made it a point to build a friendship between Lyla and Alex, as opposed to Gemma or Tara like most stories. The events of Opie's death have been a tough pill to swallow. I haven't been this emotionally invested in a show since Stone died on GH back in 1996. I will find a way to incorporate the events in this story but it may take me some time so please bear with me as I try to revamp this story a bit.**_

* * *

_It's pretty when you're young just a pity when you're old, yeah_

_Am I running away or am I closer to home_

_The lines and the signs and the miles go by_

_No one ever bothered to even ask me why_

_So I am disappearing into this road_

_With a six pack of sorrow and the shadow of a black crow_

_I would rather die fast than to ever live slow_

_Father forgive me what my mother don't know_

_The scratch marks on my soul_

_From the shadow of a black crow_

Jolie knocked on the door and stepped back down the steps to wait for an answer. When the door swung open, she tried to place a smile on her face.

"Hey Op. Is Lyla here?" Jolie asked as she avoided eye contact.

"No. She's shooting today." The tall burly man looked down at Jolie and furrowed his eyebrows. There was obviously something wrong with the young woman. "Why don't you come inside?"

"Oh no, that's okay."

"Come inside Jolie." Opie said again as he pushed the door opened more and Jolie sighed before walking in the doorframe. She allowed Opie to usher her towards the kitchen. "Beer?" Jolie shook her head no while Opie popped open a bottle of Bud and took a long sip.

"Do you know what time Lyla will be done?"

"She's got a late one tonight."

"Shit." Jolie muttered to herself as she rubbed her forehead. Opie watched as she seemed to be calculating something in her head and weighing her options. Opie fought the urge to chuckle as she watched some of her mannerisms that were purely Juice.

"What's going on?" Opie asked as Jolie rocked back and forth on her heels.

"Nothing. I just needed a favor from Lyla, that's all." Her vagueness was a bit confusing yet intriguing at the same time.

"Is it like a chick thing?" Jolie let out a small smile as she shook her head. She regarded the man in front of her and placed one of her hands in her back pocket.

"If I ask you to do something, can I trust that you won't go running back to the club?"

"I guess it depends on what you ask." Jolie took a deep breath knowing that Opie was her best option if Lyla wasn't available.

"I need a ride to the airport."

"You skipping town?" Opie asked shocked.

"No I just…I gotta take care of something. If I ask JC for a ride, I will have to play a round of twenty questions and anyone else will tell him before the plane leaves the strip." Jolie bit her bottom lip. "I hate to ask in case it like goes against some code of brotherhood or some shit but my flight leaves in three hours and I really need to get to the airport."

"You're not in trouble and you will be coming back?" Jolie nodded her head to both questions. "Where's your bag?"

"In my car. I was going to have Lyla drive my car so I wouldn't have to pay those fucking parking fees." Opie held out his hand and Jolie wearily placed the keys in his palm.

"Let's go." Opie announced much to Jolie's relief. The pair hopped in the car and Opie quickly started the engine.

"Can I ask where you're going?" Jolie looked out the window before answering.

"New York."

"What's there?"

"My buried past."

* * *

Juice had been pacing the clubhouse all day with his cell phone attached permanently to his ear. Ever since he confided in Jolie that Roosevelt knew about her killing Chris, he had been unable to reach her. Happy had said he hadn't seen her or heard any movement coming from her condo. Juice tried the gas station, the gym and the training facility but came up empty. He even swung by Caracara but Lyla was working on a closed set and Juice didn't want to stick around and wait.

"I see Jolie's car." Filthy Phil announced as he pointed towards the cameras above the bar and the Charger pulling into the lot. Juice stopped himself mid-sentence from leaving another message on Jolie's voicemail and ran outside. His eyes almost popped out of his head when instead of his little sister, Opie was the one to walk out of the driver's side.

"What the hell?" Juice asked loudly. Opie walked towards Juice and the Puerto Rican noticed the envelope that was in his hand and he immediately feared the worst. "Where is she?" Juice begged Opie.

"She'll be back in a few days." Opie answered trying to be reassuring as possible without giving anything away. "She wanted me to give you this." Opie placed the envelope in Juice's hand before leaving the man standing there by himself. Juice walked towards the picnic table and took a seat before lighting up a cigarette and ripping the envelope open. Juice looked up and glanced around to make sure that he had no one watching him before he began to read.

_JC,_

_Don't be mad or nervous or scared or any of the normal reactions that you tend to get when it comes to me. I am NOT running away or going into hiding. Despite all the shit that has been going on lately, I fully intend to stick with my original plan so that means I will be back to Charming in a few days. Juan, I am so sorry for everything. I had came to town because I thought that you needed me but it seems that I am doing more harm than good and that was never my intention. If I had known for a second about Romeo, I would have stayed away. I knew that I wouldn't be able to bury this secret forever but I had never really given any thought to what I would do when the day would come. My killing Chris…it wasn't a calculated decision. A lot of things happened that caused me to do what I felt needed to be done in order to save my own life. When I told you I have every intention on making this right, I meant it and if MY truth will be the thing that sets you free, then that is exactly what I am going to do. I know that I seem to be talking in riddles but I need for you trust me and trust that I know what I'm doing and believe me when I say everything will be alright. Until I get back you have to do me a favor. DO NOT CHECK IN WITH THOSE ASSHOLES OR GIVE THEM ANY INFORMATION. I don't care if they are threatening to expose me, you tell them to fuck off. Once I get back I will deal with everything and everyone, I promise you. JC, I love you. You are the most important thing in my world and I will gladly lay down my life for you. Hopefully it won't have to come to that but I've never been scared to die. The only thing that scares me is having to bury you. I love you and I'll be back soon._

_Love, Jolissa_

Juice folded the letter back up and stuffed it into his pocket as he put his head down and tried to take a deep breath. He had no clue what Jolie was up to but he prayed that she knew what she was doing and that she would be alright.


	20. Easier To Run

_If I could change I would_

_Take back the pain I would_

_Retrace every wrong move that I made I would_

_If I could_

_Stand up and take the blame I would_

_If I could take all the shame to the grave_

_It's easier to run_

_Replacing this pain with something numb_

_It's so much easier to go_

_Than face all this pain here all alone_

Jolie cursed loudly as she fought her way through JFK airport. There was something about touching base in New York that brought the pure East Coast girl out of her. In New York, she didn't have to pretend to be polite or smile, in fact that would give her strange looks. She was thankful that she was smart enough to only bring a carry on with her as she glanced over towards the baggage claim as people were starting to complain loudly about the long wait.

She contemplated turning on her cell phone but decided against it until she was somewhere that allowed her to actually hear the lectures that she was sure was filled in her voicemail. She walked quickly towards the sliding door and almost ran over a businessman who was talking loudly on his phone, allowing Jolie the opportunity to grab his cab. She threw her finger up from the back window when she heard the man cursing her to hell and back. She gave the cab driver the address and she sat back and closed her eyes as the cab made its way through traffic towards Benson Hurst.

It took nearly an hour thanks to the Good Morning America concert at Central Park before the cab finally pulled up in front of a large complex. She winced as she paid the man and hopped out of the car. She took a deep breath in before walking up the stone steps and pulling the massive glass door opened. She reached in her purse as she bypassed people to get to the elevators. Once the doors shut, she stuck a plastic keycard into the slot that allowed her to go up to the penthouse floor. She leaned back against the metal bar as she hummed along to some tacky 80s music. Once the doors opened, she turned to her right and immediately was face to chest with a rather large man.

"Uh hey." Jolie offered as she realized she didn't recognize the bodyguard.

"May I help you?"

"Tell him Jolie is here please." The large man looked down at her for a second as he contemplated his next move before giving her a curt nod and knocking twice on the large wooden door before opening it causing Jolie to roll her eyes.

"Something's never change." She muttered to herself. A few moments later, the large man appeared back at the door and nodded for Jolie to walk in. She heard the door shut behind her as she took in the scenery in front of her. She hadn't been back in quite a few years but with the exception of a few new photos, the penthouse was exactly the way she remembered it. The dark décor made Jolie roll her eyes as she always felt like the penthouse was a cross between the Addams Family and Beast's castle.

"Well I'll be damned, it really is you." Jolie turned to smile at the dark haired man in the three piece expensive suit as he came walking from the back office. "For a second I thought Diego must have been mistaken. There is no way Jolissa Ortiz would be showing up at my door after failing to pick up a phone and call in months." Jolie rolled her eyes but kept the smile on her face as she was enveloped in a familiar hug.

"Nice to see you too Lorenzo." Lorenzo Delgado was an important part of her life for years. Many of her survival skills were thanks to the man standing in front of her. Lorenzo was an international arms dealer who settled in Benson Hurst after his brother was murdered. He would frequent the bar that Jolie used to work at as a teen and the man had instantly taken a liking to the feisty Latina with the fierce right hook. He had been the shoulder that she leaned on after her mother's death and JC had skipped town.

Lorenzo walked towards the bar and poured them both a generous drink before handing the glass over towards Jolie. She watched as the older man looked her up and down. "One of the most fascinating things about you is that despite what you say, your eyes have always been able to betray your words and let someone know exactly how you're feeling. You wanna tell me why you are in so much pain?" Jolie shut her eyes at Lorenzo's correct assessment and took a deep breath.

"Can we discuss it later? I really would like to catch up." Jolie looked around. "No arm candy live here yet?" Lorenzo smiled.

"Your room is still available to you. Go upstairs, take a bath and we'll go out to dinner." Jolie loved that Lorenzo was always able to read her and know exactly what she needed. "Then I'll let you get some sleep and tomorrow, you will tell me exactly what is going on." Lorenzo said in a way that left no room for argument. Jolie leaned up and kissed the man on the cheek before she practically ran upstairs towards the large, spa like bathroom.

Jolie sat down on the ottoman in the bathroom and pulled out her cellphone. She took her long hair out of its ponytail as she waited for the phone to load. When she started to hear the beeping, she looked down to see her screen filled with text messages and voicemails. She read through the text messages and sent a generic reply to Lyla and Ron. She tapped the speakerphone button and listened as Juice's voicemails went from worried to downright confused. Opie had left a message demanding she call him when she made it safely. However, it was the final message that made her eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"Hope you're not running from me. I'm not done with you." The deep raspy voice was unmistakable Happy and it sent shivers down her spine. She deleted all the messages except for his as she scrolled down her contacts. She hit the right button while grabbing a bottle of bubble bath from the bathroom closest and rolled her eyes at all the female based products that lined the shelves. Lorenzo was always prepared for his many female companions that went in and out of the home.

"Hello?"

"Hey Op." Jolie announced. She heard some noise in the background and figured the tall man must be in the clubhouse. "I'm here, safe and sound."

"That's good." Opie said, his generic response let Jolie know that she was right about where he was.

"Thanks for giving him the letter by the way."

"Welcome." Jolie smiled as she heard what had to be Tig cursing in the background. She was surprised that she actually missed some of them.

"Okay, well just checking in. I'll let you know when I book my flight back."

"Make sure you do." Opie said and the pair hung up the phone. Jolie pulled the clothes from her body as she ran the filled the tub with hot water, bubble bath and bath salts. Once she was satisfied, Jolie dipped her body inside the water and let out a satisfied moan. She slid down as the jets seemed to hit all the right tension points in her body.

Jolie sat in the tub until she could no longer ignore that she was turning into a raisin. She placed the fluffy towel around her body as she walked towards the bedroom and started to pull clothes from her bag. She settled on a short sleeve black shirt that reached under her bottom, black pleather leggings and the booties that she had come to town in. She kept her hair curly as she pulled it back into a tight bun on the nape of her neck. Putting some mascara and lip gloss, she ran down the steps to try and enjoy the rest of her night before everything went to hell.

* * *

"Who was that?" Jax asked as Opie hung up the phone and placed it in his pocket.

"Lyla." Opie easily lied to his best friend as he grabbed the bottle of Jack and poured himself a shot. He looked around the room but didn't see Juice. He wanted to let the man know that his sister was safe just in case Jolie hadn't gotten around to telling him yet.

"Everything alright?" Jax asked and Opie simply nodded his head as he headed towards the door. Opie looked over to see Happy and Juice sitting down at the picnic table, sharing a joint and staring into space. It was written all over their faces that they were both missing the same girl, even if it was for completely different reasons. By now everyone knew that Jolie and Happy were fucking but no one said anything. Opie didn't know why but there had been no ribbing from any of the club members. Juice looked up when he heard Opie's boots drag across the concrete.

"She's fine." Opie answered Juice's unasked question and quickly moved his eyes towards Happy.

"I told him she left town for a few days." Juice offered as an explanation for why Happy hadn't removed from his spot. Juice let out a humorless laugh as he shook his head.

"She'll be back Juice." Opie offered as a bit of comfort but anyone within a five mile radius could see the obvious tension in the younger man's posture.

"Yeah I know." Juice said but didn't even want to try and be convincing. All three men turned towards the door as Jax came into view with his cell phone attached to his ear. Jax spoke a few words before hanging up.

"Everything good?' Opie asked.

"Romeo will be here by the end of the week, wants to set up a meeting." Jax turned and looked at Juice. "Call you sister, Romeo said to make sure that she's there." Opie, Happy and Juice glanced at each other and each hoped that Jolie would be back when she said she would be or they would have a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

The following morning, Jolie stretched her arms above her head as her eyes tried to adjust to the harsh sunlight that was covering most of the room. Jolie grabbed her cell phone from the nightstand and noticed that it was barely nine. She glanced down at Juice's text message and her stomach filled with knots as she was reminded that her reason for being in New York was not for fun. She quickly typed out a response as she stood from the bed and cracked all of the bones in her body. She was rolling her neck when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in." Jolie announced and smiled when Lorenzo walked into the room.

"Ordered breakfast from Paulie's." Jolie nodded her head with appreciation. Paulie's was a little corner store deli that had the best breakfast sandwiches. Jolie made a mental note to also grab a slice of real New York pizza before she flew back across the country. Food in New York may be something she missed most of all.

"Let me wash up and I'll be right down." She promised as Lorenzo turned and walked back out of the room. She quickly washed up in the bathroom and pulled a pair of sweat capris over her boy shots and pulled her hair back in a messy bun before running down the steps and letting her nose lead her towards the kitchen. She squealed loudly when she walked in the room and saw the tall built man standing next to Lorenzo.

"Stefano." Jolie practically screamed as she barreled into the man's waiting arms and smiled as he placed a kiss on her forehead. Stefano was Lorenzo's business partner and his biggest confidante. He was also the father that Jolie never had.

"Is it possible for you to ever stay out of trouble?" Stefano asked in a mocking tone even though he had a smile plastered on his face.

"Yeah well normalcy is boring." Jolie shrugged as she moved to pour herself a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table and grabbing the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich that she knew was for her.

"You ready to tell me what you're doing here?" Lorenzo asked as the three started to enjoy their breakfast. Jolie took a big sigh and started to tell her story. She told everything from the phone call she received from Chibs to Roosevelt blackmailing her brother. When she was done, she leaned back in the chair and pulled one of her legs up.

"So I'm assuming you have a plan?" Stefano asked as he took a sip from his juice while taking his daily vitamin.

"I left a box here a few years back after Chris died. I'm going to need it."

"What are you up to?" Lorenzo asked.

"I'm going to tell the truth, the whole truth. I'm going to give Romeo the contents of the box, tell him my side of things and let the chips fall where they may."

"He might kill you." Jolie shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm prepared for that. Rather it be me than Juan anyway. There is no reason why he should have to pay for what I've done." Jolie rubbed her forehead as she sighed. "I'm not sure if Romeo will really kill me. He knew better than anyone how unstable Chris was and he's always had a soft spot for me so I'm hoping that may sway things in my favor."

"Is that all you came here for? A box of buried secrets?" Lorenzo asked and the way he was looking at Jolie told her that he wasn't buying that as her only reason. Jolie smiled charmingly towards the two men.

"Actually, I may have a business deal for you two. This motorcycle club that Juan is involved with, they are way over their head when it comes to the Cartel. They are not the kind of people that do well in the mule business. They have already lost a few members and the decision to run drugs is tearing them apart, inside and out. Before they made this deal with Romeo, they were in the gun business." Jolie raised an eyebrow as Lorenzo and Stefano glanced at one another.

"So what you're saying is?"

"What I'm saying is who better than two international arms dealers to possibly work out some kind of business arrangement with a little one percent motorcycle club? If I can get them out of the Cartel, they are still going to need ways to earn money. Maybe I could set up a meeting with you guys. You have the best guns in the world, the type of guns that these small town boys have never seen before. It could be very profitable and keep my brother safe." Lorenzo and Stefano both sat back as the contemplated Jolie's request. She rolled her eyes already knowing some of the thoughts that were running through their head.

"I'll let you guys think it over. I need to do some shopping while I'm here." Jolie stood up and kissed both men on the cheek. "Tell me what you decide."


End file.
